High School Redux
by lateVMlover
Summary: This is how BeWitchingRed36 and I want the Veronica Mars movie to go, lots of brawls and drunken hook ups! We are writing this story together, each posting individually under the same title. I am writing the Logan and Veronica parts of the same basic story. BeWitchingRedhead36 is writing the Mac and Dick chapters. The setting is 10 years later, during the Neptune High reunion. LoVe
1. Chapter 1

**If you are wondering how in the world I have time to start another story when I am currently in the middle of three, I will assure you that this story is not really mine. BeWitchingRedhead36 thought it'd be fun to write a story together. Since the great news about the reunion movie came out, she came up with this premise. We weren't exactly sure how to go about posting a co-authored story. She wanted to write the MaDi prospective and have me write the LoVe prospective. She gave me the first chapter and I wrote this chapter, which is Veronica's point of view. She is writing the MaDi chapters, and I am writing the LoVe chapters. However, we both will be posting the story. We are proofing each other's chapters and adding a line here and there to them. I did borrow some of her dialogue for this chapter so that the two will compliment each other well. She is wickedly funny (as you will see when you read the next chapter or go to her already posted chapter).**

**We came up with the character Joshua Specter together and modeled him a bit after Harvey from USA's **_**Suits**_**. This is basically our vision of how the reunion movie should go. **

**I hope you enjoy it and are not too confused by my rambling explanation. If you see her story posted with the same name, just know it is the same story basically. The chapters are just in different order. It doesn't matter if you start reading mine or hers. It's the exact same story. The only difference is the order. I hope you like it! If you story alert to one of them-mine or hers-you will get any updates we have.**

Chapter 1: Veronica's P.O.V.

*******_Two Weeks Before Neptune's Class Reunion: Los Angeles*_******

Veronica read Mac's email again. Mac was wanting her to attend their ten year class reunion. Veronica knew that she couldn't keep putting off going home. She'd been home twice to see her dad since Mac and Logan had their launch party for the company they co-founded called EM Squared Enterprises four years ago. Seeing Logan then and being reminded of what they'd never have had been harder than she thought it would be. She and Logan had gotten back together their sophomore year at Hearst, but Veronica just couldn't seem to let him off the hook. Her lack of trust in him had been destroying him. She could see it when she looked at him or when they fought. Finally, she knew that she had to let him go. She loved him enough to do that. Instead of continuing their cycle of break up and make up, she'd transferred to UCLA. Putting physical distance between them was the only way she could think of to make the break permanent.

That's when she'd made friends with someone on the school's Mock Trial team. Somehow she'd gotten roped into being a witness when her friend's team had been short a participant. She soon found herself hooked. She had been a natural. Playing a witness had led to her eventually playing a lawyer. The game had become real to her. Eventually, she decided that she'd found her calling. Becoming a lawyer had made perfect sense. She had focused on criminal law since she had no desire to be rich and knew putting bad guys away was in her blood. Corporate law bored her to tears. Landing a job with Los Angeles District Attorney's office had been perfect for her. She had just gotten the job when Mac and Logan had decided to launch their new business. She'd never forget her last conversation with Logan that night.

_Flashback:_

_She had went out on the balcony away from the many guests in attendance. The party had been a combination of class (Mac) and fun (Logan). Logan had once again surprised Veronica. He needed to stop doing that. It made her decision to make a life away from him so much harder. Logan, of course, had been compelled to follow her out._

"_Having a good time?" he asked._

"_Of course. You and Mac throw a good party. Who would've thought!" she said smiling at him._

_He stepped closer. He'd worn a tux. She hated that he'd look so good._

"_Things change. Mac was always one to see me for who I was not who I used to be. I wish her best friend could be more like her sometimes," he said sadly._

_Veronica didn't get angry at his remark. Instead, it made her sad. "Me, too," she said regretfully. "I'm sorry, Logan. Sorry for so many things."_

_Logan had stepped even closer. He reached out and ran the back of his hand down her cheek. Then he cupped it. "No one is more sorry than I. I didn't deserve you. I want to though. I want to be a man you can be proud of," he confessed, piercing her with his heated, earnest gaze._

_Veronica put her hand on top of his. "You already are," she told him. "I am so proud of you, Logan. Never think for one moment that I'm not."_

_They had stood staring at one another both wanting to say so much. Both afraid to. They had hurt each other too many times with their words. The door behind them opened up. A voice called out, "Yo, Logan! You and Ronnie can make out later! I need you to come settle a bet!" _

_Veronica stepped back. Logan turned and glared at Dick. "Go away. I'll be in when I'm in," Logan said. He turned back to Veronica. "Do you think it'll ever be our time?" he asked her, regret and longing in his voice._

"_I hope so. I really do," she admitted softly. She had given him a bittersweet smile before he had turned and went back inside. _

_End of Flashback_

Veronica had made a point of avoiding Logan the rest of that night. Nor did she return his calls the following week. He had gotten the message. He hadn't tried to contact her again. A part of her was relieved, another part was disappointed. Some part of her was always waiting for Logan to sweep back in her life again. When she had met Joshua a year after that last encounter with Logan, she'd been so relieved. Joshua had such a commanding presence. He was such an alpha male. The attraction between them had been powerful.

Veronica's aloofness had been a challenge for the highly competitive attorney. They had often tried cases on opposite sides. The fact that she managed to beat him at least half of the time infuriated and aroused him in equal measure. It wasn't long before their attraction turned into so much more. He had consumed Veronica's time and attention from the beginning. It became easier to forget Logan and her life in Neptune. Joshua and the life they had built took up most of her time.

Now, however, the two worlds were about to collide. Veronica knew Weevil and Wallace would never forgive her if she didn't show up for the reunion. She had missed Weevil's wedding to Logan's cousin Allison. Wallace was flying in for the reunion and would not let her miss if she wanted to. She missed her friends. Her life in L.A. was nearly perfect. She had a great job and a great boyfriend. The high rise condo they lived together in had an amazing view. They had friends and were admired and envied by many. In fact, her time in Neptune seemed almost like it had happened to another person.

However, late at night when she was in bed with Joshua she couldn't help but wish she had someone in L.A. who knew her-really knew her. How could Joshua know her if he didn't know Neptune? He hadn't been there during the worse times in her life. Although she had shared many things with him, it wasn't the same thing. He saw her as being so strong, so capable. Veronica didn't think he would ever believe that she had once been a victim-more than once. And even though she liked herself the way he saw her, a part of her resented his absorption in the person he saw. Would he love her if he really knew her?

Coming to a decision, she sent Mac a reply. Yes, she would attend the reunion. It was time that Joshua met Neptune. If she was going to take the final step with Joshua, then she needed to know that he understood her. He had to be introduced to Neptune and her friends there. Did he love her or the woman he thought she was? It was time to find out.

*******_Two Weeks Later*_*******

Veronica had wanted to stay with her dad and Alicia since they were going to be in town for the entire weekend. However, she knew Joshua wouldn't be comfortable. Her dad hadn't been very impressed with Joshua the hand full of times they'd met. Joshua didn't get her dad's sense of humor sometimes, which, of course, meant that he didn't always get Veronica's either. However, he found her quirks endearing and didn't seem to want her to change. She liked that about him. She couldn't help but wish, however, that her dad and he were closer. Veronica was determined that for this weekend her worlds would finally mesh.

They had arrived at the Neptune Grand in the afternoon. The reunion meet and greet didn't start until seven, so there was time for Veronica and Joshua to have an early dinner with Keith and Alicia in the hotel's restaurant. Even Joshua hadn't been able to find fault with the hotel or the restaurant's five star cuisine.

Things had been going great until her father brought up Logan. Veronica hadn't been expecting it and it caught her off guard.

"So I ran into Logan the other day," Keith said casually.

"Arrest him again? What he'd do this time?" Veronica said with a sigh. Her dad had lost the election her sophomore year, but Vinnie Van Lowe had been so bad as sheriff that her dad had recently won his second round against Vinnie last year. He was back as sheriff and Neptune had breathed a sigh of relief. All was finally right with their corner of the world.

Her father gave her a disapproving look. "Honey, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. Logan has turned out to be quite the upstanding citizen. Who knew? Anyway, he and Mac may have moved their business to San Diego, but Logan hasn't forgotten his home. He opened up a youth center in one of the more neglected neighborhoods this year. I have arrested a lot less wayward teens now that they have a place to hang out at after school," Keith shared.

"Really?" Veronica asked in surprise.

"Doesn't Mac tell you anything? I thought you kept in touch," Keith said in surprise.

"We don't usually discuss Logan," Veronica admitted. She gave Joshua an uneasy look. He knew that her ex was Logan, but he never really understood the depth of the bond between them. And Veronica had never been very good at articulating her feelings about the subject of Logan.

"He's going to make a fine father some day," Alicia added. "I've been by the center to pick up Darrel, and Logan didn't just throw the money at a project. He and Dick spend time there at least once a month. Eli is more active since he lives in the town full time. It's great to see the boys growing up into such caring and responsible role models."

"Dick Casablancas is giving back to the community?" Veronica asked in bemusement. Dick a role model? Her world suddenly seemed a bit off kilter at the thought.

"People change, honey," Keith said. "Sometimes they can surprise us if we give them a chance." His words were filled with meaning only she could get. She looked away. Her father knew her too well.

She decided to change the subject. "So, Dad, I was telling Joshua about the amazing golf course attached to the hotel. Why don't you bring Cliff and meet up with Joshua in the morning for a round of golf? Then Alicia and I can enjoy a spa day here at the hotel. Mac said it's one of the few improvements Dick brought to the hotel that is worth the price," Veronica suggested.

"That sounds lovely," Alicia said eagerly. She loved having a stepdaughter. She wished Veronica spent more time visiting Neptune, but she and Keith understood why it was hard for her to be home.

Keith smiled. "Sure. I'll call Cliff. He is always up for a game of anything," Keith said.

Veronica was happy. She knew that having Cliff there would keep things from being too awkward between him and Joshua. Cliff never shut up for long, and even though she knew that would irritate Joshua, it'd be better than the silence that would inevitably arise if it was just her dad and him. She wanted them to spend time together. It would be even better if the time they spent was enjoyable for them both.

"Why didn't Wallace join us?" Veronica asked Alicia.

"His flight doesn't land until right about now. I offered to pick him up, but Darrel insisted that since he was now a legal driver he could. He misses his big brother and wanted to show off his new skills," she shared.

"I can't wait to see him! I miss him so much!" Veronica said with a sigh. "Josh and I had business a few months ago in Chicago and got to meet him for a dinner, but it wasn't enough time. There's never enough time."

" I wish he'd move back here," Alicia shared. "Every winter, he swears he will because the winters are so long and torturous in Chicago, but by spring he forgets his vow."

Veronica laughed. "Chicago is a fun city to visit, though." She turned to Joshua. "We need to make more time to go visit him."

"Sure, babe. Whatever you want," Joshua said amiably. Like most people, he liked Wallace. The guy was easy to be with and promised Joshua that he'd call him when he landed some Bulls tickets. "Wallace said he'd get us tickets to the Bulls next season."

Alicia laughed. "Sometimes I think that's the only reason he hangs onto that city!" she said fondly.

Veronica looked at her watch. "We need to get going. I want to change before we make it to the reunion," she said.

"What are you wearing?" Alicia asked.

"Mac promised she'd wear a dress if I would," Veronica shared. "She hates dressing up even more than I, so I agreed. I have to wear dress suits for work, so I've gotten over most of my abhorrence. She, on the other hand, still hates it!"

A half hour later, she and Joshua finished getting ready for the reunion. She couldn't help but notice Joshua's less than enthusiastic expression. "My friends mean a lot to mean, Josh. I hope you'll give them a chance," she said as she put on her heels. She and Mac had agreed to wear simple cocktail dresses-classy but not overly dressy. Mac would be in traditional black while Veronica had on the midnight blue that always looked so good on her. They'd save their really fancy duds for the Sunday evening dance.

"I like your friends. Wallace is cool. Mac seems great, too," Joshua said with a shrug. "It's just you have the history with them. I don't, so I can't see the night being a huge blast for me. But it's okay. You can make it up to me later!" He pulled her to him and gave her a thorough kiss.

She sighed. He did know how to kiss. "I'm going to have to reapply my lipstick!" she complained.

Joshua grinned. "So worth it!" he said unapologetic. After she'd reapplied the lipstick, Joshua took her hand and escorted her to the elevator.

They walked down to the ballroom that the reunion was taking place in. She saw the plaque with Dick's name on it and rolled her eyes. Some things never changed.

She went to the table to get her name tag and check in. She recognized Shelley Pomeroy at the table handing out the name tags. Veronica braced herself for the scene that would probably take place as she greeted Shelley, her hand still in Joshua's. "Hey, Shelley," she said.

The girl blinked and recognized Veronica. She smiled brightly. "Well, Veronica Mars! I heard you were coming! So nice to see you again! You look fabulous!" Shelley gushed. "Is this your man? You always did have good taste in men. Any chance Duncan Kane will be showing up tonight? I'm newly divorced. Husband number two turned out to be worse than husband number one!"

Veronica kept a smile on her face and the surprise off of it. Shelley was playing the selective amnesia thing the 09ers were always so good at. She may as well play along. "I don't know about Duncan. He and I never kept in touch after he left. But good luck with husband number three!" she said with a sunny smile, grabbing her name tag and dragging Joshua away before she was forced to engage further.

"Duncan Kane?" Joshua asked. "He's the brother of your best friend in high school? The one that was murdered, right?"

Veronica nodded. She'd given Joshua the cliff note version of her sordid high school tragedy. He knew that her first boyfriend was Duncan Kane, her best friend's sister and that Lilly had been murdered. She never mentioned helping him fool the F.B.I. and flee the country with his daughter. At what point in a relationship did it become right to confess that particular tidbit? This was probably as good of a time as any. She took a deep breath and explained "Duncan fled the country senior year with his baby after the baby's mother, Meg, died. She was a victim of the bus crash, but she survived the crash only to die a few months later of a blood clot after giving birth to her baby. Her parents were a nightmare, and she begged Duncan and I not to let them get their hands on her daughter. Duncan kept his promise."

Joshua just nodded. He tried not to dwell too much on his girlfriend's dark history. It was disturbing and hard to believe. She seemed mostly unaffected by her experiences, so he figured it just made her tougher. And there was no one tougher than Veronica Mars. It's what made her so unstoppable as an attorney. She was tireless in her pursuit of justice. It kept him on his toes and made her an asset for his own aspirations. They were on path to be one of the premier power couples in Los Angeles County.

When they entered the main ballroom, Veronica's eyes spotted Logan Echolls right away. It was inevitable. A part of her had been waiting to see him again. He stood near the entrance door but off to the right talking to Gia Goodman, who looked pretty much exactly the same. Veronica felt a pang of disappointment that he didn't glance her way. Then again she'd probably handle their reunion better after a stiff drink, make that several stiff drinks.

Unlike many of the attendees, Logan did not have on a suit. Instead, she saw he had on a pair of slacks and Polo shirt. Her insides clenched in response to hearing him laugh at something Gia said. Cursing herself, she led Joshua to the bar to get drinks. It was far away from Logan. They sipped their drinks as she scanned the room. Finally, she spotted Mac talking to a guy at a table. When the guy laughed at something Mac said, she recognized Dick.

"Come on. I spotted Mac. She's apparently being forced to talk to Dick, who was aptly named, so we need to rescue her," Veronica said as she moved away from the bar.

It wasn't long before Logan finally found them. Veronica braced herself as their eyes finally connected as he appeared in response to Dick's boorish bellow. His eyes seemed to devour her as he looked her up and down. She felt his glance as if it was a touch. Her body felt hot, and she quickly took a drink of her wine. He smirked knowingly at her as if he knew exactly what she was feeling. He looked up at the man standing next to her in surprise. Veronica could tell that Mac hadn't warned him she'd be bringing a date. However, he obviously saw Joshua as an obstacle he could easily overcome because he seemed to have no trouble pulling up a chair and insinuating himself purposely between the two of them.

"Behave!" she whispered to him as she glanced over at Joshua, who seemed decidedly unhappy at Logan's maneuvering.

"Always," Logan said with mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Veronica couldn't seem to stop the answering smile that automatically came to her lips in response. As the rest of her friends arrived, she tried to ignore his presence and chatted amicably with everyone. When his arm brushed hers, Veronica tensed. She hated that she still wasn't immune to his charisma. When Joshua got up to get her a drink, she moved the chair over some trying to create some space. Logan snickered. He knew exactly what he was doing. She sighed in frustration as she saw the look Joshua threw her. He knew something was up. His displeasure at the way the evening was going was clear.

Wallace and Weevil arrived distracting her from both men for a short time. It was so good to see Wallace. She had friends in L.A. A few she even felt she could confide in. However, no one could replace Wallace. They had to get a bigger table to accommodate their growing party. Weevil had brought his wife Allison, a cousin of Logan's. Logan kept them entertained by teasing Weevil about the connection. Veronica watched the old time rivals and sometimes enemies bicker and poke at one another like an old married couple. The picture both amused and bemused her. Things were both different and oddly familiar; it gave her comfort and hope.

"So, bro," Veronica said to her now stepbrother, "how's work going? Making anymore toy planes?"

"Toy planes? Is that what you think I do? Sit in a big room and make model airplanes?" Wallace feigned outrage.

"Yes. That's what you did when we all went to Dog Beach for The Sea Monkey's maiden voyage," Veronica reminded him.

"This is the real world, Vee. We use computers now. I actually do a lot of flight simulations, finite element analysis, and structural analysis. Really cool stuff, I don't get to sue people, but I like it." He grinned really big.

"So, it's like rocket science or something, right, dude?" Dick asked.

"Or something," Wallace replied at the same time Mac said, "Yes, exactly like rocket science."

"What's rocket science? Owning an ass website?" Joshua said as he returned to their table. He handed Veronica her glass of wine.

Veronica winced. Joshua's comment was meant to put down Logan; however, she knew Mac would take it personally, too. The website was her baby, and she never took criticism of her projects well. When Logan and Mac got up to get drinks with Dick, Veronica moved into Logan's seat, establishing her spot next to Joshua. She smiled at him. "Way too much space between us," she said.

"You didn't seem to mind," Joshua said pointedly, taking another swing of his drink.

She frowned but a comment from Wallace dragged her back into the conversation.

When Logan arrived back at the table, he took the new seat without comment. It didn't seem to change much. He still kept crowding her. His seemingly innocent touches were not so innocent. When she glared at him for the fifth time, and he grinned unrepentantly, she knew it was on purpose. If she tasered him, she'd have to explain to Joshua why and that wouldn't be good.

She finally stood up with an excuse to go to the bathroom. Sitting so close to him was torturous. Dragging Mac with her to the bathroom was a way to get some breathing room. Joshua's lack of ease with her friends was obvious to everyone. Veronica felt disappointed that the evening wasn't going how she planned. She felt a desire to unburden her concern with Mac but simply said, "Do you think Joshua's mad?"

"I think he's overwhelmed. And probably feeling outnumbered," Mac replied thoughtfully.

"He has just been in a really pissy mood all night," Veronica admitted with a frown.

"In other words, exactly your type," Mac said, flashing her dimple at Veronica.

"Pissy?" Veronica asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Tall, magnetic, broody," Mac stated matter-of-factly.

"Just because that describes Duncan and Logan...Well, maybe," Veronica finally admitted. She felt startled to realize Mac had a point. She was drawn to men with seething emotions.

As she and Mac walked back from the bathroom after an unpleasant run in with Madison Sinclair, they stopped at the table honoring the bus crash victims. Her eyes fell on the picture of her and Meg. It seemed like a life time ago. They were so young and carefree. Innocent. Lilly had dragged her onto that pep squad her freshman year, but she'd enjoyed it more than she liked to admit mainly because of Meg. Lilly loved to shock Meg and Veronica with her outlandish conquests and daring stunts. Sometimes Meg's unfailing goodness irritated Lilly, but she was hard to hate. When Lilly had been killed and the entire school turned against her, it had only been Meg who had remained unchanged in the way she acted toward Veronica. How did Veronica repay her kindness? By stealing the boyfriend who'd managed to take Meg's virtue and knock her up. Thinking about her senior year, Veronica wasn't sure what possessed her to get back with Duncan after she and Logan had broken up. She supposed it was a last ditch attempt to recapture some of the happiness she had known when Lilly was alive.

Madison Sinclair interrupted her reverie with a typical catty comment. As usual, she picked one that hit hard.

"Meg was just nice to you because she felt sorry for you," Madison said, sneering at Veronica.

Veronica looked at the woman she used to hate more than anyone and realized something. Madison no longer mattered. She looked world weary and worn. Life obviously hadn't been treating her kindly and it showed. Veronica was going to reply to her dig, however. She did have a reputation to uphold after all, but Mac jumped in, surprising Veronica. As Veronica listened to the exchanges between the two, it was clear that Veronica wasn't the only girl Madison had tormented in high school. Mac wasn't the shy non-confrontational girl she'd been in high school. She had confidence that only true success brought, and she wasn't about to take Madison's attack on Veronica lying down. Veronica looked at Mac with affection and admiration. It'd been a long time since anyone had taken up a battle on her behalf. Her gaze fell on Logan's several feet away. Logan had done so with Gory at the end of their freshmen year at Hearst.

Mac surprised both Veronica and Madison by revealing to Madison that they were switched at birth. Her comment about the baby switch pulled Veronica back from her memories as she confirmed the truth of it for Madison. She couldn't help but enjoy the look of disbelief and horror on Madison's face as she faced the truth about her life. However, she wasn't able to enjoy it for long when Madison suddenly lunged for Mac and hit her with a loud slap. Before Veronica could react, the two women were going at it. Mac got in a few good hits. The sight of blood gushing from Madison's nose did warm her insides. But the fight that sprung up between Mac and Madison was quickly getting out of hand. Madison shoved Mac into a table, spilling a pitcher of beer everywhere. Then she knocked Mac back causing her to fall back hard with Madison on top of her.

When their fighting drew a crowd, Veronica looked at Dick and Logan expectantly. "Stop this!" she ordered, growing concerned for Mac.

"Are you kidding?" Dick asked in disbelief. "This is a whole new side to Ghostworld! Who knew she had it in her?" He was obviously relishing the fight that had sprung up and believed it was over him. She rolled her eyes, suppressing the urge to slap him.

Veronica looked to Logan for help. "This was inevitable once the truth came out," Logan said quietly.

Veronica's eyes widened as she realized Mac had confessed her long guarded secret to Logan. They were even closer than Veronica realized. She knew how private Mac was. "Madison may have had this coming, but this is going on too long! It needs to stop!" Madison reared back and slapped Mac again. Veronica winced. She didn't want to see Mac hurt, so she decided to put an end to the fight the best way she knew how. She reached into her purse and pulled out her taser; she still carried it with her everywhere. Finally, she had an excuse to give Madison some of her own long awaited and well-deserved payback.

"Be still, Mac!" she ordered. Her taser wasn't powerful enough to travel to Mac, but she didn't want to accidentally touch Mac with it. She jammed it to Madison's shoulder.

Although she was motivated by her desire to help Mac, she did sort of get a sordid pleasure into tasering her old nemesis. However, her pleasure was short lived when Jeff Ratner showed up as Dick's head of security. "Jeff?" Veronica said. "Jeff Ratner?"

"Veronica Mars. Why am I not surprised to see you in the middle of this fracas? You haven't changed since our freshman year at Hearst." Jeff Ratner did not look happy at the impromptu reunion.

"You obviously haven't either. Still working at the Grand, I see," Veronica observed.

"Head of Security now, actually. The new owner promoted me. As much as I'm enjoying catching up with you, I need to earn my pay now. The boss is watching, you know." Jeff smirked.

"I know. I'll leave you to earn your minimum wage," Veronica said. Why did the guy bug her so much?

Joshua came up to her. "What are you doing?" he asked in disapproval. "I can't believe you tasered somebody! What were you thinking? You told me that was for protection only!"

"Mac needed my help and no one else was making a move to stop the fight!" she said hotly. She followed after Dick, who had led Mac to the bar to sit down. As she explained to everyone what went down, she made sure Joshua heard the story. It wasn't like she just pulled out the taser and started dishing out punishment for no reason. If Joshua only knew how many times she'd almost pulled out the taser during interviews with criminals, he'd appreciate her restraint.

She was struck silent when Mac suddenly decided to leave the ballroom with none other than Dick Casablancas. Veronica watched Mac let Dick wrap his arms around her in bemusement. She glared at Logan. "If he hurts her, it'll be your fault!"she said.

"How do you figure?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's your friend!" Veronica accused.

"That he is. And so is she," Logan said flatly, not really amused any longer by her attitude. "In fact, the two of them are my best friends. I've spent more time with both of them than you have the past ten years, so I think I know who they are and what they're capable of. Dick is not the man he used to be in high school. You should have more faith in Mac." After saying that, Logan turned and walked away. He didn't get far before he was stopped by Shelly Pomeroy.

Veronica turned away from the sight of Logan smiling down at Shelly and saw Joshua looking at her with displeasure. He had noticed her exchange with Logan and felt the undercurrents between them. Before Veronica could say anything to placate him, Weevil and Allison came up to her.

"Looks like you've finally rubbed off on Mac," Weevil said with a grin. "Wallace and I got some great shots with our camera phones!"

Wallace snickered. "It was like that scene from _Carrie_!" Wallace enthused.

"How do you figure?" Veronica asked in confusion.

"A school event and the blood running down Madison's face!" Wallace said.

"Yeah, that's so like _Carrie_," Veronica said dryly.

"So what do you have planned for tomorrow?" Weevil asked.

"Joshua is going golfing with dad and Cliff while Alicia and I have a spa day at the hotel. I'm sure the owner will give us a discount," Veronica said. She gave Logan a pointed look.

"I may have an in with the owner," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, that'll be fun," Allison said wistfully.

"Are you free tomorrow? I'd love for you to join us. Mac may also. Of course, that was before she got Dick snatched and left the party," Veronica said with a frown. What was Mac thinking?

"Are you sure? I don't want to horn in on your time with your stepmother," Allison said.

"It's past time you and I got to know each other," Veronica said. Weevil gave her a smile of approval.

"Thanks! I'd love to come if you're sure it's okay," Allison said.

"Absolutely! Why don't we have brunch here at ten? Is that too early?" Veronica asked.

"No, it's fine. Thanks!" Allison said.

"It's too early to call it a night. Let's go somewhere," Wallace said.

"Cho's is open until eleven on Fridays," Weevil said. "They're serving some really good buffalo wings these days."

"Wings? Count me in!" Wallace said, smacking his lips in anticipation.

Everyone looked toward Veronica. She glanced up at Joshua, he was just standing there with that same stoney expression etched on his face. "Give us a minute," she said. She took his hand and dragged him outside the entrance. "What's going on with you? You're not even trying to connect with my friends!"

"They're not really my kind of people, Veronica," he said. "And it's obvious you and Logan have more history than you've shared with me."

"I told you we were together. It was a long time ago," she said. "Besides, what do you mean they're not your kind of people? What are your kind of people? Pretentious? Rich? That's Dick and Logan and a few others that are here!"

"Let's not fight about this, babe. We'll be back home Sunday. This trip was more about you spending time with your friends than me. Why don't you go hang out and have fun? I'll see you in the room when you get back," he said. He bent down and placed a kiss on her lips.

Veronica watched him walk away with mixed feelings. Everyone would probably enjoy themselves more without his continual presence, but she was both pissed and disappointed. He wasn't even trying. Dick had even offered to upgrade their suite, a generous gesture on his part even if it had been motivated in an attempt to show off. If her friends weren't his kind of people, where did that leave them?

_******An Hour Later******_

They had quickly reconvened at Cho's. Beer, pizza, and cheesy bread were soon passed around. They had put two tables together. Predictably, Logan planted himself next to Veronica, who resigned herself to his presence. Wallace sat on her other side with Allison and Weevil sitting across from them.

"So life's been treating you good?" Logan asked.

"Things are great. I really love my life in L.A. It's almost perfect really," she said with a bright smile.

Logan regarded her thoughtfully. When he didn't comment like she expected, she asked, "What?"

"I just never thought you'd end up with a possessive Neanderthal like him," he said.

"Mac informed me earlier that I have a type. You had some Neanderthal tendencies yourself if you recall," she said smiling.

"Maybe," he said with a shrug, not returning her smile.

"Joshua treats me really well and loves me," she said.

"I'd expect no less," he said quietly.

Veronica found herself nonplussed with his reticence. "How about you? I noticed you didn't bring a date," she observed.

"I've had some regular bed buddies, but they never last long. I don't see a point really," he said with a shrug.

"The point is to have some happiness with someone who loves you," she said.

"It's always so fleeting and the disappointment when it doesn't work out and they don't love you enough lasts way too long," he said, giving her a meaningful look.

She couldn't let that one slide. "I loved you enough to walk away instead of continuing to tear you apart," she said sadly.

"You think it didn't tear me apart when you left without a backward glance? Or when you didn't call me or pick up my calls after the launch party?" he asked bitterly. "You don't seem to have any trouble making choices that don't include me."

Veronica was taken aback by his bitterness. She knew he had a good life, and she hadn't realized he was still holding on to so much. "I never wanted to hurt you," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," he said, holding her gaze. They were silent a moment as they listened to their friends. Wallace was asking about the community center his brother told him about. Weevil was filling him in.

"Rich boys are good for something," Weevil said, smirking at Logan.

"So I've been told," Logan said, not in the mood to engage Weevil.

Weevil glanced at Veronica and saw her unhappy expression and figured things weren't going well between the exes. Veronica saw his inquiry and gave him a half smile. She was okay.

Veronica turned to Logan and whispered, "What do you want from me, Logan?"

"Nothing you're prepared to give obviously," he said draining his beer. "Same old Veronica. You have more polish and a stick in the mud new boyfriend, but you still don't see what's right in front of you. I don't think I have the energy to play the game again. Nothing changes. You don't know how to bend. At least not with me. But I bet you do a lot of compromising for your current man, though." With one last glance at her, he stood up. "Well, this has been great, but I'm going to head out. Got some stuff to do in the morning."

"Pretty boy has no stamina anymore," Weevil said with a leer.

"I'm sleepy, too, honey," Allison said with a yawn. "I don't want to be too tired to enjoy my spa day tomorrow."

Veronica shook off Logan's words and smiled at her. "It's going to be great." The three of them left.

Wallace looked over at his best friend. "So tell Papa Bear all about it," he said.

Veronica found her eyes filling with unexpected tears. Wallace knew her so well.

"Why does he always have to make things so hard?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

"He's Logan. He doesn't do easy well," Wallace remarked. "Your first real love is never easy to get over. If Jackie was here this weekend, I'm sure I'd be having all kinds of confusing emotions."

"Logan wasn't my first love. Duncan was," she clarified.

"Was he really? Seemed like puppy love to me," Wallace said. "Logan is the one you couldn't seem to let go of. He has the power to make you both extremely happy and utterly miserable. You didn't seem too broken up when Duncan left."

"True," she admitted.

"Joshua not having a good time?" Wallace asked.

"He's not even trying, Wallace! It's like he just agreed to come here to placate me. I wanted him to fit in my life here, too," she shared. "How can he really love me if he doesn't know me here or understand where I came from?"

"Is that as important as where you're going? I'm sure he's focused on your future with him. He's an ambitious guy," Wallace said.

"Yeah. I am ambitious, too. However, lately I've been feeling that there's more to life. I've been feeling like something's missing," she confessed.

"Children? They're the best! I can't wait to see you preggo and teaching your little girl how to use her first taser!" Wallace said with a grin.

"I don't know if it's children. Joshua hasn't really said anything about starting a family," she said a bit surprised at the thought. "I don't know if I can see myself as a mom."

"Well, I can! You'd be terrific," he said. He put his arm around her shoulder. "You just have to ask yourself, is Joshua the man you picture as the father of your children? Or is it Logan? Once you can answer that, you'll know."

Veronica thought about it. She and Joshua would make really beautiful children.

A short time later, she made it back to the hotel. Joshua was already asleep. Emotional exhaustion allowed her to drift into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She dreamed of children. One boy and one girl. Neither had blue eyes like her or Joshua. Instead, they both had brown. The little boy had a familiar smirk.

******_*Chapter End*_******

_Your reviews are greatly appreciated! If you can't wait for the next chapter, it's posted by BeWitchingRedhead36 as her first chapter._


	2. Chapter 2

**For those that didn't go to BeWitchingRedhead36's post and read this chapter, here it is! I did tweak a few lines, but for the most part this work of fun and brilliance is hers! She is wickedly funny and writes MaDi like no one else! If you enjoy this chapter, please check out her profile and read some of her fun stories. There not as long as the ones I write, but much funnier! The next chapter will be from Dick's P.O.V. Then I will write Logan's. We will finish the story with one final Mac chapter and one final Veronica chapter. Thanks so much for your reviews! I know you'll love this one!**

Chapter 2: Mac's P.O.V.

Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie took a deep breath and pushed open the double doors to the Casablancas' Ballroom of the Neptune Grand. She rolled her eyes, like she did every time she heard the pompous new name of the ballroom. Dick's company owned the entire chain of Grand hotels, and several other commercial properties up and down the coast of Southern California. This little piece of gossip came straight from Logan. She and the "obligatory psychotic jackass" (Veronica's pet name for Logan Echolls) had been friends since their freshman year of Hearst, and it had continued on past the college years and out into the "real world." Basically, though, Mac didn't pay much attention to Logan's bytes of gossip about the womanizing surfer dude she was never really friends with anyway. He was just someone she used to know, a long time ago.

Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, Eli "Weevil" Navarro, and Wallace Fennel. That was it, her entire reason for dragging ass to the Neptune High's Class of 2006 ten year reunion. Which, if she thought about it, and she really did, was kind of silly because she was still in regular touch with Veronica, Logan, and Wallace. Eli had recently accepted her Friend request on Facebook, too, so

really, why was she bothering to show up at the reunion at all? A momentary lapse into insanity probably, but perhaps not so momentary, she thought.

_We Used to be Friends_, by the Dandy Warhols was blaring through the speakers placed strategically around the vast open ballroom. Mac fought the desire to jump up and rip the big **Welcome Back, Pirates** banner. She never had been one to embrace school spirit.

"Well, well, look who the cat dragged in," came the snide, nasally whine of Madison Sinclair.

Mac sighed. Here was one of the many reasons she had hated high school. Steeling herself, she turned to face the woman who, by a twist of fate, had lived her life. Mac wasn't the shy, geeky girl she'd been in high school. Madison she could handle. Mac was no longer easy prey for a girl like her. "Well, well, look who is still winning awards for being unoriginal," Mac said with an eye roll. "How's it feel to know you peaked ten years ago?" Dammit, there went her resolve to ignore Madison. They were adults now, no need to stoop to Madison's level. That was a funny way to put it though, being that she had almost a half a foot over Mac.

"How's it feel to know that you were a weird, misfit loser in high school, and you haven't changed in ten years?" Madison snapped back.

"Liberating," Mac said, moving on past Madison. She headed straight to the bar and was happy to see the tall, lanky frame of the co-owner of EM Squared Enterprises. She tapped him on the back. "Hey, favorite business partner. Buy me a drink? We can expense it."

Logan turned around with a big grin. "I'm your only partner. Expense it? I'm the money man, remember? I'll need a receipt, thank you." He waved over the bartender and proceeded to order a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon for Mac.

"I'll have it to you by the fifteenth of never," Mac rejoined, smiling. Being with her friend and partner caused the irritation she'd felt with Madison to fade away.

"Remind me again why we're partners?" Logan tapped a finger on his chin as though he was deep in thought.

"I'm the brains of this operation," Mac said.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot." Logan smirked at Mac.

"And no one else would have you," she added, giving him her own smirk.

He handed her the drink and chuckled. "Very true."

"Thanks," she said before taking a big swallow of the dry wine.

_Grade my Ass_ had been wildly successful through the years since it got a less than stellar reception as Logan's class assignment. That D project had gone on to make Mac and Logan millionaires several times over. _Grade my Ass _was still up and running, and as Logan had predicted, it proved to be a very easy to franchise the idea. They'd spawned a whole network of sister sites all interconnected with click advertising. After a couple of years sitting back and collecting checks for obscene amounts of money, four years ago EM Squared Enterprises was born. Mac liked to think of it as phase one of their bid for world wide (web) domination. However, there was still a lot of the web left for them to dominate, and they were constantly working on new ideas and ways to branch out.

"Echolls, bro. Who's the hottie you're chatting up?" Dick Casablancas shouted to be heard over the music as he came over to his best friend.

Logan and Mac turned around at the same time. One look at the surfer boy's unabashed look of surprise with a trace of _something_ more, and Mac almost spit out her wine. She was disappointed-though really that wasn't the right word either-to see that Dick had not gained 100 pounds, and he still had a full head of blonde hair. The only concession he seemed to make toward the inevitable process of aging was his hair was short and well trimmed. He looked good, she had to admit. Though if she were honest with herself, Dick Casablancas had always looked good. Even when she didn't want to be forced to share the same air as him, she still enjoyed the view. His shoulders were broad, his body toned and fit. It was obvious that surfing was still a daily part of his life. The last time Mac had seen Dick was four years ago at the launch party she and Logan had co-hosted for their business. Although she and Logan were partners, fate seemed to be keeping her and Dick from encountering one another. Most of the time Logan went to Neptune to see his friend.

"Ghostworld? Is that you?" Dick's face gave away his surprise.

"And I thought I'd left that nickname firmly in the rear view mirror," Mac stated with a grimace. It was her turn to be surprised, though, when he embraced her. It was just a quick hug, but she found it unsettling that the heat of him still lingered long after he'd let her go.

"Yes, your rear view is still very firm," Dick said with his trademark leer.

"Same old Dick," Mac stated, rolling her eyes.

"Admit it Ghostworld, you missed me," Dick said with that arrogant grin of his she both hated and found appealing.

"Who are you again?" Mac feigned confusion.

"Wow, as much as I'm enjoying being on the outside of this scintillating conversation, I think I'll go mingle," Logan interjected. He flashed Mac a knowing grin.

She hated it when he left her to deal with unwanted people. Although if Mac was honest with herself, she wasn't sure exactly how unwanted Dick was at the moment. However, she kept up the pretense and glared at Logan, hoping her look would telepathically tell him that he was in **big trouble **if he left her alone with Dick.

He either didn't get the message or was willing to risk it because he continued on his quest to find other classmates. He'd always suspected Dick had a little crush on Veronica's best girlfriend and felt no guilt at leaving the two of them. "I've got to go see about a blonde," Logan called over his shoulder.

"You can keep hunting, but she's not here yet. If you leave me alone with Dick, you're dead to me. Dead I say!" she hollered after him.

Logan continued his trek to the other side of the room, but Mac could tell he was laughing. He probably wouldn't be laughing much longer when he discovered Veronica came with a plus one. Turned out, there never was a good time to break it to your BFF/business partner that your other BFF, _AKA _his one true love whom he never fully got over, was in a _serious adult relationship_.

The plus one was named Joshua Specter. He was a big shot criminal attorney in LA, a heavy hitter with the Hollywood types. He was called The Closer. Mac had met him a handful of times during the three years Veronica had been dating him. A warm and fuzzy type he wasn't. Though she could certainly understand the appeal at the same time. Tall, full thick head of black hair, cerulean blue eyes, Joshua was easy on the eyes. The problem was he knew it. Arrogance was not a trait Mac found particularly attractive in a man, especially not one that had the bad habit of looking through her. Mac hated talking to the guy. He only ever seemed to be truly interested in talking to Veronica. That was good, Mac supposed, since she was his girlfriend. Still, it didn't make him the kind of guy Mac hoped her best girlfriend would end up with. It seemed Veronica was working hard to recreate a life in Los Angeles that was as different from her life in Neptune as it could be. Mac understood the impulse to do this, but she wished Veronica wouldn't keep running, especially into the arms of guys like Joshua.

The subject of Veronica didn't come up much between Logan and Mac. From the start of their friendship she had made it clear that she would not get in the middle of their on again/off again epic, star-crossed lover tragedy. She loved them both, but she would not become their collateral damage.

Now Dick, on the other hand, was a different story. Logan seemed to be under the misguided assumption she was interested in the life and times of the number one catch of Balboa County. The guy in question, a big fish in the quasi-pond of Neptune, was looking at her with a combination of wistfulness and longing. That didn't seem right. They hated each other. True there was the almost kiss on Dog Beach their freshman year at Hearst, but she'd quickly put the kibosh on that idea. They both seemed to have developed amnesia after that. Nothing was ever said about it afterward except Dick's plea that she not tell Logan. Nine years later and counting, she had kept that pledge. As soon as she thought she'd identified the expression on Dick's face, it faded, and she dismissed it as a trick of her eyes.

After trading barbs a couple more minutes, Dick gestured to a table that had just opened up to the left of the bar area. He grabbed her glass of wine and his vodka tonic, leading the way to the table. Mac climbed up onto the tall high backed bar chair, and even though they had the table to themselves, Dick chose the chair next to her.

"So, how's the real estate gig treating you these days? I'm going to guess pretty good," Mac asked, breaking up the looming quietness that had set in once they sat down. She gestured to the room they were in.

"Oh, referring to the self-aggrandizing name of this ballroom, huh? It's okay. It's a living, I guess." Dick grinned. "Go ahead, admit it, you find it egotistical, naming this room after myself."

"No, not me," Mac said in an exaggerated, sarcastic tone. "Actually, the word I like is pompous."

"Much better." He winked, then said, "So tell me, how's the ass business treating you?"

"Funny. I was just going to ask you the same thing, Casablancas." Mac felt Dick's foot brush against her leg; she did nothing to discourage it.

"Touché, Mackenzie, touché."

"So, what's the gossip around these parts?" Mac asked.

Dick filled her in on the people they went to school with that were still calling Neptune home. Mac and Logan had decided to set up EM Squared Enterprises in San Diego, which wasn't that far away distance wise, but still felt quite a bit removed from the place they grew up. She didn't have to constantly deal with class warfare or worry she'd turn into an elitist simply because she now had money. Neptune had a bad effect on the rich. When she thought about the sense of superiority that the Madison Sinclairs of Neptune had, she was grateful to have been raised in the lower zip code.

Dick launched into a funny story about bumping into Corny at the Sack N Pack a couple years ago and then just a couple months ago he saw him again at Cho's Pizza.

"I almost didn't recognize the dude. Maybe he'll be here tonight. Seriously, he's rocking a full mountain man beard. I asked him if he was planning on living off the grid. Scary dude these days. I missed the Corny who offered to bring baked goods to AlternaProm." Dick put extra emphasis on the word baked.

"So, he's clean now?" Mac inquired.

"Who the hell knows?" Dick said with a shrug.

"Aw, Cho's" Mac said, smiling. "That brings back good memories. Many late night study sessions were fueled by a large veggie pizza no cheese from that Neptune institution."

"Only you would put good memories and late night study sessions in the same sentence," Dick said with a smile. "You know, Cho's is for sale. I think the owners are planning to retire. I'm considering making an offer on the place. I can get it pretty cheap, but I don't want to totally low ball the family either. As you say, Cho's is a Neptune institution. I can't let some corporation come in, franchise it and piss around with what makes it such a great place."

"Didn't know you were such a sentimentalist. Make that an entrepreneurial sentimentalist."

"The things you don't know about me would fill a book," Dick said. He touched her arm briefly. It didn't escape Mac's notice that once again the heat of him lingered long after he'd let her go.

"A picture book, perhaps," Mac joked.

"I'm a complicated man," Dick insisted.

"Yes, sure you are, kind of the way quadratic equations are complicated," Mac stated.

"There you go," Dick said triumphantly, as though she had proven his point.

"They sound complicated, but are really easy once you learn the basic formula," Mac explained. She mentally shook her head at herself. She really needed to get out more if this was how she flirted with a guy. Flirted? Was that what she was doing? No. Not flirting exactly, but she wasn't looking for a way out of talking to Dick either.

"Easy? Are you saying I'm easy," Dick asked.

"Well, I might have heard a few stories that would indicate that you're not exactly discriminating when it comes to the ladies," Mac stated.

"Logan has a big mouth," Dick grumbled.

"Yes, he does," she agreed.

"I haven't seen you since the launch party four years ago. Do you get up to Neptune much?" Dick asked, changing the subject.

"Not much. And when I am, it's just to hang with the 'rents and go see Ryan. He's at Hearst now, on scholarship," Mac said proudly. She couldn't believe her baby brother was in college. Suddenly, she felt old.

"Guess there was brains to go around in the Mackenzie genes," Dick said. He reached across the table and gave her a playful punch on the arm.

Mac narrowed her eyes and just looked at Dick for a moment before realizing there would be no way he could know that genetically, at least, she wasn't actually a Mackenzie. Veronica was not a gossip. She opened her mouth to explain about the baby switching but stopped herself just in time. What the hell was wrong with her? This wasn't true confession time with Dick Casablancas.

She decided it was time to Jedi Mind Trick Veronica. If she was anywhere in the vicinity, she should come running. If she didn't get some back-up stat, who knows what would tumble from her mouth?

Mac was surprised, however, to look up and find Veronica and Joshua making their way towards her and Dick.

"It's like I conjured you," Mac said as way of greeting. The two girls hugged as the guys just watched.

"How's it going, Mac-Attack? You having fun? I brought re-enforcements in case you need them," Veronica said. Then turning to Dick she clarified, "My taser. You remember Mr. Sparky, right?"

Joshua went to a neighboring table to poach a couple more chairs, so they could join Mac and Dick. He brought them back and helped Veronica climb into hers and then sat in the one next to her.

"I don't think you guys have met yet," Mac said to Dick and Joshua when Veronica didn't seem inclined to make the introductions. It seemed some things hadn't changed. Dick still wasn't Veronica's favorite person.

"No," Dick said. "I'm Dick Casablancas. Veronica and I go way back."

"Joshua Specter. Veronica and I go way back." Joshua smiled, but it was more predatory than friendly in Mac's opinion.

"So, you're in the law game, too?" Dick asked.

"Yes. Though Veronica prosecutes them, and I defend them. What about you? Are you in the ass game?"

"Not professionally. It's more of a hobby really. I was a consultant actually at _Grade My Ass' _ inception, but my expertise wasn't appreciated. I dabble in commercial real estate these days," Dick explained.

"Oh. That's nice. Real estate. Not the best business to be in these days, I wouldn't think," Joshua said. "So, like convenience stores and things like that?" Joshua had a smug expression on his face that Mac really wanted to wipe off.

"Like hotels. This one, in fact. Are you staying here this weekend?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact Veronica and I are staying here," Joshua informed Dick. "The Grand Deluxe room, I think."

"I'll talk to the front desk, we'll get you upgraded to a Grand Suite." Dick said.

"Thank you," Joshua muttered. It seemed as though the conversation didn't go the way he expected.

Mac was impressed with the way Dick handled Joshua's arrogance and air of superiority. She loved seeing Joshua get his ass handed to him. She really needed to reign in her bad opinion of him, but Joshua just grated on her.

"So, V, did Logan come find you?" Mac asked to change the subject.

"He was talking to Gia, so I decided not to interrupt," Veronica explained.

Mac glanced over at Dick when Veronica mentioned Gia's name. He flinched a little, but it was so slight she didn't think anyone else noticed. She reached out and gave Dick's hand a brief pat and then quickly withdrew her hand, folding them both on her lap. The action seemed almost involuntary. What the hell was wrong with her? What was wrong with both of them? Had they been replaced with pod people? She didn't have a flirty, touchy-feeley thing going on with Dick Casablancas.

"Saving him from Gia would've been the humane thing to do, Ronnie." Dick glared at Veronica.

"He's a big boy, Dick. He can handle Gia just fine," Veronica defended her decision.

Mac decided to engage Joshua in conversation as Veronica and Dick continued to snipe at each other. She easily felt as though she could have been sitting outside on one of the stone picnic tables in the quad of Neptune High wasting the lunch hour listening to the conversations of the 02'ers versus the 09'ers.

As they chatted about some difficult case he'd just wrapped up, Mac noticed Joshua's eyes rarely strayed past Veronica. He seemed to be keeping tabs on her, even when he tried hard to act as though he was entertained by something Mac had said. It almost seemed like, if given the option, he would have planted a flag on Veronica, staking his claim to her. She wanted to like Joshua, really she did, but if she had to sit through one more story about his legal prowess and how he just owned the jury, she would probably stand up and yell, "Fire!" at the top of her lungs. Maybe it was time to evoke the Jedi Mind Trick again, she'd been successful at it the first time. But before she could begin Dick was shouting across the room.

"Logan! Hey, Echolls, join us man!"

"Real smooth, there, Dick. It's like you think you own the place," Mac teased. He smiled.

"I do." Dick directed the statement to Mac, but looked at Veronica while he said it.

"I figured that out," Veronica interjected. "It was hard to miss the name change on the plaque by the door. I thought it was a little pompous myself."

"That's what I said, V," Mac said, grinning. The two friends high-fived.

"What? You're not keeping tabs on me? I'm hurt Ronnie." Dick dramatically put his hand on his heart.

Logan took another chair from the same neighboring table and squeezed it between Veronica and Joshua. Mac tried, and failed, to hide her smirk. Joshua did not seem happy about that. He undoubtedly knew who Logan was and the history he shared with Veronica. Good, maybe that would knock ego boy down a peg, Mac thought.

Their little party was fast outgrowing the table, but no one seemed to care.

Logan shot Mac a look full of censure; it seemed to say, you forgot to mention that Veronica was dating a tool. She just shrugged and mouthed _sorry_.

"So, what's Gia been up to?" Veronica asked.

"Not much. Same old Gia. She went to college on the East coast. After, well, graduation night, her mom moved them as far from Neptune as geographically possible. College was a bust though, so she did some traveling through Europe for a couple years, managed to burn through millions. She was a little sketchy on the details of her life now though."

"She told you she's poor now?" Veronica asked.

"Not in so many words, but I got that impression," Logan explained.

"You know, guys, things haven't been that great for the Sinclairs lately either," Dick cut in. "Word on the street is that the crash in 2009 was not kind to Mr. Sinclair."

"Word on the street?" Veronica wondered.

"Boardroom actually," Dick clarified.

Mac felt the blush creeping up, painting her face red. Veronica and Logan looked over at her in concern. They both knew about the Sinclair Mackenzie baby switching; it was V who had discovered that fact. She had finally confessed her secret to Logan a couple years ago. They'd been celebrating a new acquisition with a little too much Cristal when she found herself blurting out her biggest, most Gothic secret. It felt good to have a couple close friends to share it with.

"Macster, you okay?" Dick leaned over to whisper in her ear. She shivered a little at the contact.

Mac had always hated the fact that she totally lacked a poker face, and she still blushed easily. It was one thing to have that trait in high school, but the fact that it continued on now into adulthood annoyed her.

"I'm peachy," she whispered back. Even though there was no love lost between her and Madison, and she didn't keep in touch with the Sinclairs, she still felt bad about their tough times. There was a funny, mishmash of emotions circulating through her.

"So, what's Madison been up to?" Veronica asked, wincing slightly as she said Madison's name, like she'd just bit into a lemon. "Shaking her ta-tas for money?"

"I haven't seen her upchucking the boogie to the beat at Bottom's Up Gentleman's Club. Not that I go there or anything," Dick quickly added looking over at Mac and grinning.

"Right, I believe that totally. Neptune's most eligible bachelor would not go to a club and generously donate 100 dollar bills to the down on their luck dancers." Mac smirked.

"Donate. I like that. Yes, I do like to give back to my community. It's my civic duty," Dick claimed with a wide grin.

"Ah ha, Casablancas. You admit that you have patronized the club before," Veronica said.

"You sound like a lawyer, Mars," Dick teased.

"Funny you should say that," Veronica said.

"I thought you'd be a Feeb by now. But I wasn't really surprised when Logan told me you were practicing law these days. You always did like to argue. We can just ask Logan all about that." Dick said pointedly.

Instead of replying to the dig though, Veronica reached for her purse that she'd hung on the back of the chair. She dug through it and found the taser. She pointed it towards Dick and acted like she was going to click the on switch. Everyone laughed as he held his arms up in surrender.

"I held my own in that department," Logan admitted.

Joshua looked back and forth between his girlfriend and Logan then drained his drink. He stood up and announced, "I need a refill on my scotch. Anyone else need something?"

Veronica pointed to her nearly empty glass of wine. Joshua gave her a curt nod and proceeded to the bar.

"Gee, I hope it wasn't something we said," Dick feigned innocence.

Logan snickered, clearly enjoying Joshua's reaction. "I kind of hope it was," Logan interjected then copied Dick's mock surrender when Mr. Sparky was pointed at him instead. "Stand down, Mars."

"Same old Superfly," came a familiar voice.

Everyone looked up and smiled when they saw Wallace standing there, flanked by Weevil, and his wife, Allison.

"Cuz," Logan greeted Weevil.

"How many times have I told you never to say that in public?" Weevil said in annoyance. He looked around as if he were afraid someone would overhear him.

"I think we need a bigger table," Allison noticed that everyone was squeezed in practically on top of one another. She leaned in to hug Logan and kissed his cheek.

"I'll handle this," Dick said rising. He looked around and saw a table across the way with only one

person there. Mac heard him tell the guy, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take this table out of service."

"What the hell?" The guy, whose name escaped Mac at the moment, complained. She'd always thought he looked like Fivel from _An American Tail_, and that obviously hadn't changed in the past decade. If anything he looked even more rodent-like now, she hadn't even thought that was possible.

"It's wobbly." And then Dick proceeded to shake it. "See? I can't afford a lawsuit. Though I think Mars would provide adequate counsel. Tell the bartender drinks are on me the rest of the night."

"Thanks man. Wait, it's an open bar, dude. Man, you always were a dick," the Fivel-look a like complained in a squeaky voice. Mac had to control the urge to go over there and offer him a piece of cheese.

"My mom named me correctly. But anyway, since I own the place, I'm just exercising my rights here. And keeping my patrons safe, of course," Dick replied with an unapologetic grin.

The guy just shook his head and headed over to the bar, grumbling about how the freaking '09ers never change.

Wallace helped Dick move the table next to the other one, and they rearranged all the chairs to accommodate the expanding group. Conversation weaved details of their current lives in with bits of memories of their high school days. The story of Weevil ultimately marrying Logan's cousin was a popular topic.

Allison had come out to visit her cousin Logan during his sophomore year at Hearst. One day while walking by the Pi Sigma Sigmas a senior jackass, whose name Allison later found out was Chip, started shouting obnoxious comments about her big breasts and short shorts. Dick had been there, too. He had kept telling Chip to knock it off but had been ignored. Then Weevil had came out of the Pi house after fixing the A/C, and overheard Chip's last comment. His reaction had been to jump in Chip's face and start wailing on him. Dick had to pull him off of Chip. Allison had never had anyone come to her defense like that. She had introduced herself to Weevil and offered to buy him a coffee for his chivalry.

After a lengthy suspension, Weevil was ultimately fired from his job as Maintenance Manger of Hearst College, but he didn't care. By then he and Allison were dating. She had been raised in Toledo, Ohio; her dad and Logan's mom were first cousins. She might have initially gone out to California to visit Logan; however, she stayed there for Weevil. It wasn't long before she transferred from Ohio State University to Hearst College. After their tale was shared with the group, Allison took a sip from her glass of water and rested her hand on her belly. Mac couldn't help but notice her dreamy expression. It made Mac happy that Weevil had found someone who so obviously adored him.

Wallace mentioned his wife, Jocelyn, a lot. She had to stay back in Chicago with the boys. He passed his iPhone around. Everyone ooh'ed and aw'ed about how cute his growing family was. Dick teased him about starting his own little league team. Wallace quickly corrected him. It was his own basketball team, of course.

"So, bro," Veronica said to her now stepbrother, "how's work going? Making anymore toy planes?"

"Toy planes? Is that what you think I do? Sit in a big room and make model airplanes?" Wallace feigned outrage.

"Yes. That's what you did when we all went to Dog Beach for The Sea Monkey's maiden voyage," Veronica reminded him.

"This is the real world, Vee. We use computers now. I actually do a lot of flight simulations, finite element analysis, and structural analysis. Really cool stuff, I don't get to sue people, but I like it." He grinned really big.

"So, it's like rocket science or something, right, dude?" Dick asked.

"Or something," Wallace replied at the same time Mac said, "Yes, exactly like rocket science."

"What's rocket science? Owning an ass website?" Joshua said as he returned to their table. He placed Veronica's wine in front of her.

Mac knew it was a snipe directed at Logan rather than her, but she felt slighted, too.

"Rocket science is rocket science," Logan clarified talking slowly and enunciating carefully.

"I could totally be a rocket scientist. Building rocket models and drawing on the computer all day. I'd totally rock that. Crayon comes off computer screens, right?" Dick said it straight-faced, then waited a beat before laughing at everyone's incredulous expressions. "I'm joking. I think I'll stick to owning hotels, especially this one." The last sentence was said softly, a little wistfully. He drained his vodka tonic. "Now I need another drink. Who wants a refill? Macster, another glass of wine for you; we need to get you drunk. Weevil, another Killians? Logan, scotch? I'm buying."

"I thought it was an open bar," Wallace said pointing to his empty glass. "Another rum and coke."

"It is. But who the hell do you think is paying the tab?" Dick pointed out.

"Uh, the committee?" Wallace guessed.

"Me," Dick said.

"In that case, make it top shelf."

"Well brand it is. Logan, Ghostworld, will you guys give me a hand, please?"

"Who says chivalry is dead? Making Mac carry her own drink, such a gentleman Casablancas," Veronica said.

"Yes, I am such a delicate flower, V. Sure, no problem." Mac got up and followed the guys. She looked around the room as Dick placed the drink orders with the eager to please bartender. As her eyes panned the room, she noticed Madison staring at Dick with a predatory gleam. Mac hoped that Dick knew Madison's renewed interest in him wasn't anything deeper than a way out of the poverty line.

Madison seized upon her opportunity to corner Dick as he waited for the drinks. She didn't even look Mac or Logan's way. "I haven't seen you in ages, Dick. You look exactly the same. I love what you've done with The Grand."

Logan looked over at Mac and rolled his eyes. He started mimicking Madison's head toss and mouthed along as she continued to try to engage Dick in memories of their so-called glory days at Neptune High. Madison had her back to them and was too focused on her prey to notice the comedy routine she inspired. Mac just grinned.

Madison threw her head back again and laughed. She put a hand on Dick's arm and leaned in to whisper in his ear. Ignoring her, Dick stepped back and pressed a glass of wine in Mac's hand. Then he handed Logan a glass of Macallan.

Mac gritted her teeth. It was just her aversion to all things Madison Sinclair, she told herself sternly. No other reason was behind her sudden urge to dump the full glass of red wine over Madison's blonde head, to watch it rain down like blood. "Oops," she'd say, "my hand slipped." The only thing keeping her from doing just that was her belief that waste was wrong, especially when it came to good wine. She brought the glass up to her lips and took a sip, mainly to keep her hands busy. It wasn't the typical cheap wine they served at most open bar functions. Of course with Dick in charge of the libations, she'd expect no less. Being an 09'er, he had Dom Perignon taste with the bank account to match.

Once all the drinks were ready, everyone headed back to the table, leaving Madison just standing there. Mac was a little surprised that, despite Dick's lack of encouragement, she didn't follow them back. She suspected that Madison was still slightly intimidated by Veronica, but whatever the reason, Mac was grateful to not have to listen to her pathetic attempts at flirting.

Back at the table, Logan started once again taunting Weevil with the "cousin" label.

"Stop it, man. I told you, we can be family anywhere else, but not here. It would ruin what was left of my reputation," Weevil said, rubbing a hand over his still bald head. His obvious uncomfortableness amused the onlookers, which, of course, was why Logan kept doing it.

"As a former leader of the PCH'ers? Yes, that's one title I wouldn't want to tarnish," Logan said sarcastically.

"Eli, baby, love me, love my family," Alison interjected.

"No, Alison, love you, tolerate—barely—your family. Vee, dig out your taser again. Echolls here is a little slow on the intake."

"Yeah, Eli. You've got to love me. We are family," Logan said, grinning. He then launched into a full verse of the old Motown song of the same name. Weevil showed his appreciation for Logan's serenade by giving him a rude finger gesture. Then Alison joined Logan in the off-key chorus.

"Stop it, you two," Weevil said, placing his hands over his ears."Why, oh why, did the one woman perfect for me have to share the same blood as the biggest asshole of Neptune High?"

"Actually, I've always been partial to the title 'obligatory psychotic jackass', myself," Veronica corrected.

"You're just lucky, dear. Anyway, like it or lump it, now that we're married, you and the biggest asshole of Neptune—or obligatory psychotic jackass—take your pick, are cousins now. No matter how much you deny it," Alison said, patting her husband on his arm.

"I could feel the love all the way over at the bar," Dick said as he set to work passing the glasses around.

"We also witnessed some love at the bar," Veronica added. "Looks like Madison was hoping to do a little rekindling."

"Try hunting for a baby daddy," Dick corrected.

"What?" Mac and Veronica screeched simultaneously.

"Someone actually spawned with Madison Sinclair? He must have been real hard up," Wallace added.

"Word on the street is she has a fifteen month old son at home," Dick added. "She's probably on the prowl for a Baby-Daddy."

"I think she's already mentally cast that role," Mac hypothesized.

"I'd make a great choice for a Baby-Daddy."

"Have you met yourself?" Veronica snarked.

"What? Just because I can't keep a goldfish alive doesn't mean I can't raise a child. How hard can it be? They cry and whine and shit when they want to eat, right?" Dick said trying to hide his grin but wasn't successful when Wallace, Eli and Allison started snickering. "Just kidding. I think I'll wait a few more years before I sic a Dick the third on the unsuspecting populous of Neptune. Plus, I can think of better baby mamas than Madison Sinclair."

"Your first wife?" Logan cut in.

"Right. Melinda, um something," Dick said trying, and failing, to remember her last name.

"I see the former Mrs. Casablancas really made an impression on you," Mac pointed out.

"We were married less than 24 hours."

"She got to know you?" Veronica guessed.

"No. The annulment was my idea actually. She had freaky feet. I can't be married to anyone with freaky feet," Dick rationalized.

"But you'd sleep with them?" Veronica asked, a look of repulsion on her face.

"If they wear socks, cover up the feet, sure, why not?" Dick clarified.

"That's noble of you, Casablancas," Veronica said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.

"You know it, Ronnie," Dick replied, grinning knowingly.

Mac noticed that Joshua wasn't saying much of anything. He was staring down at the table, sucking down his scotch. She once again tried to involve him in conversation, but he didn't answer her in more than monosyllabic words. She'd had better conversations with her Venus Flytrap. Veronica finally quit sniping at Dick and started trying to get her boyfriend to talk, but she didn't have any better luck than Mac.

Finally, Veronica excused herself from the table. "Mac, come on."

"I'm fine. I don't need to use the facilities."

"So? What does that have to do with anything? We're girls. Aren't we supposed to go to the restroom in packs?" Veronica went over to Mac and started pulling on her arm.

"Is that in the rulebook? I lost my copy." Mac snarked back, but she allowed Veronica to pull her up. They made their way to the restroom located on the other side of the massive room, dodging groups of people milling about. Sadly, Mac felt like she'd never really left Neptune High. The cliques of people that were friends in high school were the same social groups flocking together ten years later. It really was Neptune High School, redux.

After completing their business, Veronica and Mac washed their hands and then checked themselves out in the mirrors hanging above the sinks, making sure their make-up and hair still looked good.

Mac liked the way Veronica wore her hair these days—a sleek blonde bob that just brushed her shoulders. As for her own hair, she was still getting used to the fact it was now chin length. She'd cut it short for her twenty-eighth birthday, figuring it was time for "grown up hair." By her junior year of college, she'd quit dying her signature streaks of purple, green, or fire engine red. Now, however, she was back to putting streaks of red in her otherwise black hair, but the shade she chose these days was more mahogany than fire engine.

Mac's eyes met Veronica's in the mirror. She looked as though she had something she wanted to tell Mac but stayed silent for a long minute.

"Do you think Joshua is mad?" Veronica finally asked.

"I think he's overwhelmed. And probably feeling outnumbered," Mac replied thoughtfully.

"He has just been in a really pissy mood all night," Veronica complained.

"In other words, exactly your type," Mac said.

"Pissy?"

"Tall, dark, broody," Mac stated matter-of-factly.

"Just because that describes Duncan, and Logan...Well, maybe," Veronica finally admitted.

"Definitely," Mac stated, her tone didn't leave any room for arguments.

"Well, your type these days seems to be tall, blonde and dumb." Veronica said flashing her friend a knowing look.

Mac opened her mouth to retort when just then the door swung open and Madison strode in. Her eyes met Veronica's in the mirror. "Speaking of tall, blonde, and dumb..."

"You're not his type, you know," Madison hissed at Mac.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mac was confused.

"Dick. I've known him a lot longer than you have."

"I'm not interested in Dick. I never have been, and unless I've entered the fifth dimension and didn't know it, I never will be," Mac snapped.

"He needs someone who gets his life. Who has class and comes from a good background." Madison said as she headed into the first bathroom stall.

Mac couldn't even think of a reply, and she was rarely without a sharp retort. Her mouth just hung open. Veronica, on the other hand, didn't have the same problem.

"Well, how do we account for you then, Madison?" Veronica asked loudly, to make sure Madison clearly heard her.

"I have a theory," Mac said, finding her voice after all. "Actually,..."

"No. You're the one with class, remember. She's not worth the effort," Veronica said

"We're just going to do nothing?" Mac complained.

"Come on, Mac, let's get out of here. No more letting _**her**_ pollute our air space," Veronica dragged Mac out of the restroom. She accented the word "her" with over a decade's worth of venom and bitterness.

"Why won't you let me have any fun?" Mac grumbled.

On the way back to their,group they passed several long tables pushed up against the far wall. Each table held picture collages and little mementos of a life gone too soon. There was one makeshift memorial for victims of the bus crash and also for other classmates that died after graduation. They stopped at the Meg Manning spread.

Mac was mixed about the whole idea. On one level, she thought this reunion was about reliving the happy times, those more innocent times. The irony did not escape her, though, that her Neptune glory days were darker than most, as was Veronica's, Logan's, and even Dick's. On the other hand, she appreciated the sentiment—these classmates were gone, but they would never be forgotten. They would always be a part of the class of 2006.

Veronica's eyes were locked on a photo of her and Meg in matching yellow and green spirit squad uniforms, arms around each other. She just stared at the picture, not saying anything. Mac, however, knew her friend was feeling guilty about something that really had been out of her control anyway. Sometimes she thought V enjoyed putting the weight of the entire universe firmly on her shoulders, a Neptunian version of Atlas. Mac reached over and briefly squeezed Veronica's hand.

"Meg was just nice to you because she felt sorry for you," Madison said, her whiny voice cutting into Veronica's reverie.

"What the hell is your problem, Madison? You've been stalking me all night." Mac launched into her before Veronica had the chance to say anything. "When you weren't stalking Dick, that is. Now you're trying to involve Veronica in your little game. Just grow the hell up! This isn't high school any more, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I knew you wanted Dick," Madison said in a triumphant voice.

"No, I don't actually. But neither do you. You just want him as a meal ticket." Mac snapped.

"What do you know about me, you stupid bitch. You're always the last to know anything. You were screwing a murderer and didn't even know it. Your best friend was the biggest slut of the school. You've always been on the wrong side of the tracks, Cindy." Madison managed to make the name Cindy sound like a dirty word.

"It's the right side of the wrong side of the tracks, thank you. And you have no idea what you are talking about. As usual." Mac said through gritted teeth.

"I've always been so sick of your air of superiority, thinking you're smarter than everyone else."

"No, not everyone. Just you, Madison. It must be the Sinclair genes that make me the more intelligent one."

"What the hell are you talking about, Mackenzie?" Madison snapped, looking confused.

"Neptune Memorial sent us home with the wrong families," Mac blurted out, her anger forcing the confession out of her. She couldn't even look at Madison as she said it. Of course, Mac of all people knew what a life changing thing that statement was, but in that one moment of time all she wanted to do was knock the smug expression off Madison's face.

In every single year Mac had the misfortune of knowing Madison Sinclair, she never seemed to be good for anything other than bullying those she deemed beneath her, which Mac figured was probably every other person she ever came across. If there wasn't some kind of benefit to her, she wouldn't deign to talk to you. Mac had to work twice as hard for anything and everything she had while Madison had had a silver plated childhood. Sometimes, like now, it really pissed her off. She'd tried hard to move beyond the feelings that she'd been cheated in life. Hell, her parents were wonderful, loving people who were so proud of everything she had accomplished, but she never truly felt she'd belonged with the Mackenzies. It was a gut feeling, one that had stayed with her most of her childhood. So in a lot of ways, it had been a relief when Veronica discovered the truth of her parentage during their junior year at Neptune High. Although it was a relief, it was also the one millisecond in time where she could look back and say nothing would ever be the same again. After all, once you learn something, you cannot unlearn it. A part of her couldn't help but wonder "what if".

Mac looked over at Veronica, who gave her an encouraging smile.

"You're lying. I don't know what your game is, but I'm going to end you." Madison said waspishly.

"Oh, it's not a lie. It's not a game. I was the one who discovered the lawsuit against Neptune Memorial Hospital," Veronica said. There was an edge to her voice, a dare for Madison to argue with her.

"When? How...how long did you know?" Madison seemed at war with herself, one part wanted to stay firmly planted in denial, the other part of her seemed to believe it was possible.

"Our junior year in high school," Mac said, again unable to look into Madison's green eyes, the ones so much like the woman she grew up calling mom. The woman who was still her mom, who would always be her mom. The very same mom that raised her, that loved her.

"I'm just finding this out now? How could you keep this from me? It affects me every bit as much as you. You've always been a bitch. Now you're a selfish one!" Madison screamed.

Mac looked around the room to gauge if anyone else in the room was looking at the scene they were beginning to cause. She didn't feel like admitting to herself that it was Dick she was looking for. She didn't want to acknowledge that somehow during the course of the reunion she'd completely revised her opinion—for the better—of the overgrown child. So while Mac was busy scanning the room looking for the lanky blond surfer dude, she didn't notice when Madison reached out and slapped her cheek. She certainly felt it, though, and heard the sound of the slap echo through the room. Damn, it stung. Mac quickly recovered and with an angry shriek launched herself at Madison.

"I don't know what the hell you're complaining about," Mac said as she fisted her right hand and jammed it into Madison's stomach. "You lived the life of privilege, the one that was supposed to be mine. You stole my life."

"You know what, Cindy, Boo fu-," Madison started in on Mac, then suddenly stopped mid-sentence when Mac's fist hit her for the second time. Winded, she waited a beat and then grabbed a handful of Mac's hair and yanked it hard. Mac struggled to get free, but it only made her scalp hurt more. She reached out her right hand to punch Madison in the face. Madison saw Mac's hand coming out of the corner of her eye and threw her head back. Mac's hand ended up smacking the side of her nose, making a crunching noise as the cartilage snapped and blood rained down.

"I just got my nose done two years ago, bitch." Madison said, or at least that's what Mac thought she said. She let go of her iron grip on Mac's hair.

If Mac thought a broken nose—and now-botched nose job—would cause Madison to retreat she was wrong. It actually had the opposite effect, it galvanized her into coming back at Mac with even more venom and hatred. Despite the blood pouring out, Madison pushed into her. Mac stumbled back, knocking a nearby bar top table over. The first casualty was a half full pitcher of beer, spilling down on the ground. The scent of the spilled beer wafted up and wrapped itself around Mac, making her want to gag. Flashes of former classmates surrounding them, sounds of their cheers and shouted insults, the yeasty smell of the spilled beer, everything was swirling around her at once-she was in sensory overload. Her dad's advice from his military service days popped in her head, stay alert, stay alive. She knew she needed to stay focused on her opponent, but Dick's voice soon pierced its way into her thoughts.

"...whole new side of Ghostworld, who knew she..."

She heard Veronica say something about Madison having it coming.

Dick answered back something about mud and wrestling, and how hot it was that they were fighting over him.

Logan grumbled something to Dick about not getting the whole back story, and then Dick replied that he was starting to understand the brawl was about something more than just Mac and Madison just wanting the Dickster. But they both definitely wanted the Dickmeister, too, he decided with a smug smile.

Seeing an opportunity to catch Mac unaware, Madison waited until Mac got up and shoved her again so she fell back into the tipped over table. Mac reached up and frantically grabbed onto the closest thing she could, Madison. They both fell down on the beer soaked carpet, Mac on the bottom, getting the brunt of the fall. The yeasty smell of the beer mingled with the metallic tang of Madison's blood, which wasn't showing any signs of stopping. Madison kept pummeling Mac, shrieking about ruined lives. Mac reached out with her left hand and was about to flip Madison around to once again gain the advantage when she heard a buzzing noise. She lifted her head up and saw Veronica coming up behind Madison.

"Be still, Mac," Veronica hissed.

Mac cringed a little when she heard the sizzle of the taser connecting with Madison's shoulder. Taking advantage of Madison's distraction, Mac scooted out from under Madison. She didn't even have the energy to get up from her prone position on the floor. She watched a couple security guards push Veronica out of the way and slowly help Madison to her feet.

"Jeff?" Mac heard Veronica say. "Jeff Ratner?"

"Veronica Mars. Why am I not surprised to see you in the middle of this fracas? You haven't changed since our freshman year at Hearst." Jeff Ratner did not look happy at the impromptu reunion.

"You obviously haven't either. Still working at the Grand, I see," Veronica observed.

"Head of Security now, actually. The new owner promoted me. As much as I'm enjoying catching up with you, I need to earn my pay now. The boss is watching, you know." Jeff smirked.

"I know. I'll leave you to earn your minimum wage," Veronica said.

Mac shut her eyes, no longer interested in watching Jeff Ratner and his team handle Madison. The adrenaline was starting to wane, leaving her acutely aware that she wasn't totally unscathed herself. Suddenly, she felt a presence and opened her eyes. Dick was looming over her.

"You okay there, Scrappy Do?" he asked.

"Peachy," Mac said. "Get me off this floor. You really need to wash the carpets."

She lifted up her right hand, so Dick could help haul her up.

As soon as he grasped it though, she let out a scream. "Stop," she said when she could speak through the pain.

"You okay, Macster?" Dick had let go of her hand the second she screamed. He was looking at her with concern.

"No. Definitely not. Turns out punching someone really hurts. I always knew she had rocks in her head. I think I just proved that hypothesis." Mac gently cradled her injured hand against her chest. She was still lying down.

"And only you would you use big words after a fight," Dick observed in admiration.

"True," Mac agreed with a sheepish smile.

"Any other injuries?" Dick asked, obviously worried.

"Probably. I have no idea what though," Mac said.

Dick knelt down beside Mac and slowly helped her sit up. Then once that finally happened, he stood up and still leaning over, picked her up and carried her over to a chair by the bar.

"I'm fine, I can actually walk on my own. You don't have to hover," Mac tried to assure him.

Veronica, Joshua, Logan, Wallace, Allison and Eli had been gathered around the scene of the fight, watching Ratner continue his interrogation of Madison. Around them a couple of other Neptune Grand staffers were starting to clean up the remains of the fight by cleaning the beer soaked carpet, and picking up the overturned furniture. Feeling in the way, they turned around and saw that Dick and Mac were seated at the bar. They went over there and gathered around Mac's stool in concern.

"I'm okay, " Mac assured her friends. "You should see the other guy."

Veronica then filled them in on what was going on, leaving out the baby swapping story. Mac found out that Dick had instructed Ratner and his team to just deal with Madison and that he'd handle Mac himself.

"I guess that's one benefit of knowing the owner of the hotel," Mac said to Dick.

"Hang with me, I'll show you a lot of benefits," Dick said suggestively.

"Geez, Casablancas, your timing sucks." Veronica said giving Dick a peak of the taser she was still holding.

"I was going to say, benefits like free ice packs. Once again, Mars, you've badly misjudged me," Dick said smugly as he signaled the bartender over and asked her to fill a couple bags with ice. When that was done, he handed them to Mac. She groaned a little with the weight of the ice on her sore hand, but then the cold seeped in, soothing it a little bit. Her groan morphed into a sigh.

She tried to pay attention to the conversations around her, but the adrenaline was wearing off and a dull aching was starting to set in everywhere, not just her injured hand. She was just starting to consider getting up to start the (long) trek to her twelfth floor suite, when Dick whispered in her ear. "I have a spare room, Ghostworld. Stay with me."

Mac had every intention of saying no when she heard a "yes" instead coming out of her mouth. She would have considered that she'd received a bump on her head, too, but she'd been acting flirty with Dick all night. What the hell did they put in Neptune's water supply?

After saying goodbye to everyone and steadfastly ignoring the pointed looks her friends were giving her, Mac allowed Dick to help her down from the bar stool. She was walking very slowly and didn't have the energy to object when Dick put his arm around her, giving her something to lean against. "Come on, Oscar de la Hoya, let's get you back to my place," he said.

**TBC...**

_Remember, this is our VISION of the reunion. Mousy sidekick Mac may not get into a brawl, but we would hope that future Mac would find her own and surprise everyone, even herself!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay in posting an update. I haven't had much time to write lately. However, I will post chapter 4 in a day or so since it's already done and posted by BewitchingRedhead36. I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks so much for all that have taken time to review. We appreciate it a lot!**

Chapter 3: Logan's P.O.V.

*******_Friday Night of the Class Reunion*******_

Logan didn't know why he was so nervous. It wasn't like he had any real expectations. He had been burned too many times and had the scars to prove it-both literally and figuratively. Love hurt. Sometimes too damn much. However, he couldn't seem to stamp out the small flame inside of him that flickered whenever he thought of her. Having one of her best friends as one of his made it impossible to sever all connections to her. She was the dream that never quite died. Logan knew he was the biggest glutton for punishment, but one look at her across the ballroom and the rest of the room faded away. Nothing else mattered but her.

Veronica Mars. The bane of his existence. The love of his life. The one that got away. There she sat at a table laughing with Dick, Mac, and some other guy he didn't recognize. Her simple black dress reminded him of the one she wore at the Alterna Prom except her long golden locks were cut in a stylish angle bob that grazed her mostly bare shoulders.

When he noticed her arrival, he excused himself from Gia Goodman and started to walk toward his friends. Then he paused remembering the last and final time she'd walked away from him.

_********Flashback********_

_Logan finished packing for his and Dick's surfing trip. Last summer their surfing trip had been canceled due to Dick's father suddenly wanting to spend quality time with Dick before he was locked up. Logan didn't want to spend the summer away from Veronica, but Dick really needed to get away from Neptune. Logan could see it in his eyes. Every time he visited his father in prison, Dick seemed a little less his carefree self. With their sophomore year behind them, Logan figured this would be the last summer they could do it. He didn't like the hollowness in his best friend's eyes and was determined to help him the way Dick had always tried to help him. _

_He wasn't sure it was a good idea to be away from Veronica for so long. They had been together for the past year after reuniting last summer. However, it had been anything but smooth sailing. The love and passion was always there between them, but he felt his resentment building each time Veronica questioned his activities or looked at him with suspicion. She always apologized and tried to pretend it was nothing, but they both knew she was lying. Then when he saw her with her father or Wallace and observed the way she looked at them, the contrast was like a slap in the face. She was so open with them, so trusting._

_He heard the door open in their living room. "I'm almost ready, Dick!" he yelled._

"_So I see," a voice that wasn't Dick's said from his bedroom door. He looked up and smiled at Veronica, who was leaning against the door frame._

"_Hey! I was going to stop and see you before we headed to the airport," he said. He walked toward her and kissed her. When he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled back. He gave her a questioning look. "You're not upset that I'm going to be gone for two months, are you? You said you thought being able to survive a separation would be a good test for us."_

_She nodded. "I know. I wanted to talk to you before you left," she said. She sat down on his bed._

"_Hey, we got time if you want to say goodbye slowly," he said, giving her a leer._

_That finally got a real smile from her. She shook her head. "No. That's not why I came by," she said soberly._

_Logan frowned at her serious tone and sat down on the bed next to her. He turned to face her. "What's wrong?" he asked._

"_I'm not going to be in Neptune when you get back," she said._

"_Really? Where are you going?" he asked._

"_To Los Angeles. I'm transferring to UCLA. I got the award letter for a scholarship I applied for," she said._

_He got up from the bed and looked down at her in surprise and growing hurt. "You applied for a scholarship to another school and didn't even bother to tell me? What the hell, Veronica?" he asked in anger._

_Instead of defending herself, she just looked away. "I'm sorry, Logan. I wanted to tell you, but I was trying to avoid that look on your face," she said softly. _

_Logan stood there a moment trying to figure out what she was trying to say. Then it hit him. "You're leaving me," he stated flatly, no question in his voice._

"_I'm no good for you, Logan," she said sadly finally looking at him._

"_Why would you say that? I love you! I love us! There's nothing more important to me. I'll cancel my trip with Dick. We can take a trip together. Spend some quality time together," Logan said. He sat back down next to her. He felt a sense of growing panic. She was pulling away. In her mind, she was already gone. He could see it in her eyes._

"_Time together isn't the solution, Logan. I'm the problem. I just can't do this anymore," she confessed, guilt at what she was doing evident on her face. _

"_What do you mean? I thought you loved me," he said, a note of accusation in his voice._

"_Sometimes love isn't enough, Logan. Sometimes people can't let go of things," she said._

"_People? Don't you mean you?" he said bitterly. "You just can't allow yourself to trust me! You're always looking for a reason to walk away. Well go! There's the door! I'm not going to stop you nor am I going to beg you to stay!"_

_Her eyes filled with tears. "Don't be like this, Logan. I need this. I need to be away from Neptune. I shouldn't have stayed to begin with. I just wasn't ready to leave you after graduation. Mac and Wallace were here. It was just easier to stay," she said._

"_It was easier," he said mockingly. "Nothing with you is ever easy, Veronica. You won't let it be."_

"_I'm sorry, Logan. There's too much between us. It always gets in the way," she said._

"_Only if you let it. Only if you want it to," he said tiredly. _

_She got up from the bed. "I don't want to lose you from my life, Logan. But I can't do this anymore. I'm not happy here. You and I can't seem to be in sync. I know it's mostly my fault because I can't seem to let us be happy. I need a change, and I think UCLA will be a good fit," she said._

"_Not Stanford?" Logan asked._

"_I guess I wasn't quite ready to be nine hours away from everyone. Los Angeles is like baby steps," she said. "UCLA is cheaper and had the financing I needed."_

"_Well, I guess all your dreams are coming true. Don't let me hold you back," he said sarcastically._

_He turned and shut his suitcase. "Now if that's all, I got a plane to catch."_

_She gave him a pain filled look. It took all his self-control not to get on his knees and beg. How would he survive without her? Who would he be without her? But he did have his pride. He had given her everything he'd had to give, and it hadn't been enough. Nothing he ever did was enough. _

"_This is a good thing for us. Time apart. Time to see who we are without the other," she said, stepping toward him and taking his hand. "Don't hate me."_

"_I could never hate you," he said in defeat. "I wish I could be what you needed. I'm sorry."_

_She hugged him. "I wish I could let go and be what you need me to be, too," she said against his chest._

_******End Flashback******_

He hadn't been prepared for her to walk out like that eight years ago. It had seemed to come out of nowhere, but after she'd left, he knew the signs were there. He'd spent the summer trying to purge her from his system, but it hadn't worked. When he and Mac had launched their business four years ago, she had come to their launch party. It seemed almost like she wanted to be with him again. He saw the yearning in her eyes in a private moment on the balcony. Then they were interrupted, and he never got a chance to connect with her again. When she didn't return his calls, he knew he'd been wrong. She still didn't want him. He didn't waste his time going to Los Angeles to see her. He knew that in the end she'd have to come to him. She had to decide that a future with him was what she wanted.

Now he'd created a relatively great life without her. He had friends and projects he cared about as well as a business he was proud of. When he wanted female companionship, he always found it. However, there was a part of him that felt incomplete, unfinished. Now as he looked at her from across the room, he knew why. It was her. She was the other half of him. Without her, he would never quite have everything he needed and wanted. The children he found himself yearning for whenever he spent time at the center would never exist without her as their mother. There was no other woman he wanted in that role. There never would be. It was as simple as that. It was as complicated as that.

He walked slowly toward her, determination filling his every step. Eight years had passed, but those years fell away as he gazed at her. As he finally reached her, he realized nothing had changed. Here within reach was everything he wanted. She may not be in Neptune for him, but she was here. To Logan that's all that mattered. When he was introduced to the tall, magnetic man at her side, he threw Mac an accusing glance. She was involved with someone, and Mac hadn't said a word. Then again, he hadn't really expected her to be single all this time. Men would always want her. She was beautiful, witty, and elusive. A challenge for the strongest of men. It didn't take Logan long to size up her new man. The way he watched her and cared only for her caused warning bells to ring inside Logan. This guy was entirely too possessive. Logan recognized his look. It was the way his father had looked at his mother whenever he was trying to show her off at premieres or parties. Logan was immediately suspicious of the man and his too perfect good looks.

Logan decided to test the man's patience and Veronica's response to him. Much to her annoyance, he pulled up at chair and inserted himself between the happy couple. He used subtle touches as often as he could to test the waters between them. He was more than pleased when he saw her flush in response. She wasn't immune to him. That realization filled him with supreme satisfaction.

When he decided to push her further, he ran a finger down her arm and lightly caressed her open palm that was hidden from view. Her slight shiver made him grin.

She glared at him. "Behave!" she ordered and glanced up at her boyfriend to see if he noticed what was going on.

"Always!" Logan replied with a smirk.

When Veronica returned his smile, the smirk faded and a real smile took its place. Some part of her was enjoying his naughty little game. He got up with Mac and Dick to get some drinks. He chuckled low when he saw that Veronica had moved to sit beside her boyfriend, so Logan just sat down on her other side. If she thought her boyfriend's presence was going to stop him, she had forgotten some key things about him.

As the evening progressed, he saw her new man make no effort to get to know her friends. He seemed only there in body. At one point he even dared insult Logan and Mac's company. Logan saw Mac bristle in offense; however, Logan just grinned. The man had no real idea how out classed he really was. He may be a big deal in legal circles, but Logan doubted his net worth came close to his, Dick's, or Mac's. Joshua Specter had a hell of a lot to learn about real power. As a defense attorney, he'd never really know much. Now Veronica had the right idea. A district attorney had some real influence. It amused Logan to picture her in court. It had been an extreme effort in will not to take a trip to L.A. to watch her in action. He longed to see her cross-examine a suspect. Once he'd been on the other end of her cross-examine, so he was very curious to see someone else on the hot seat.

The night took a surprising turn when somehow Mac and Madison Sinclair ended up in a brawl. He and Dick quickly made it over to them. Veronica stood there looking dismayed and at a loss. She looked to Logan for help. "This was inevitable once the truth came out," Logan told her.

It annoyed him that she seemed surprised to know that Mac had entrusted her darkest secret to Logan. He knew that Mac had pushed down all the hurt and anger over the switch. It obviously was at a boiling point. He thought it was healthy for her to get it out, so he didn't make a move to end the fight. However, he wasn't surprised when Veronica did. Some things never changed.

Logan was glad that the night ended with a chance to spend more time with Veronica minus her tool of a boyfriend. They went to Cho's. Veronica sat next to Wallace. Logan opt to sit on her other side.

After some general talk, Logan asked,"So life's been treating you good?"

"Things are great. I really love my life in L.A. It's almost perfect really," she said with a bright smile.

Logan worked hard to get the disbelief off his face. He knew L.A., and he knew her. There was no way that Los Angeles with all its pretentious people was her kind of place. He refused to believe she'd changed that much. He didn't want to instigate an argument, so he held back his thoughts

When he didn't comment like she expected, she asked, "What?"

Logan decided that he had to say something. "I just never thought you'd end up with a possessive Neanderthal like him," he said. He loved the spark that immediately came into her eyes at the insult. However, she surprised him by not rising to the bait.

"Mac informed me earlier that I have a type. You had some Neanderthal tendencies yourself if you recall," she said smiling.

"Maybe," he said with a shrug, not returning her smile. After all this time, she still saw him as the worse version of himself. Suddenly, he wondered what he'd been thinking. She didn't think he was any better than he had been all those years ago. The disappointment at that realization hit him hard. Why had hoped for something more?

"Joshua treats me really well and loves me," she said.

"I'd expect no less," he said quietly. She'd never allow a man to mistreat her. That he knew without a doubt.

Veronica didn't seem to like his lack of real comment. She frowned at him. "How about you? I noticed you didn't bring a date," she observed.

"I've had some regular bed buddies, but they never last long. I don't see a point really," he said with a shrug. He didn't want to share the fact that a part of him was still waiting for her to come back to him. Talk about feeling like a fool.

"The point is to have some happiness with someone who loves you," she said.

He gave her a look of disbelief. Was she really that oblivious to what her words would do to him?

"It's always so fleeting and the disappointment when it doesn't work out and they don't love you enough lasts way too long," he said, giving her a meaningful look. He wanted her to acknowledge at least what she had done to him-to them.

She obviously didn't appreciate the reminder. "I loved you enough to walk away instead of continuing to tear you apart," she said sadly.

He gave her an incredulous look. Did she really believe love motivated her actions? "You think it didn't tear me apart when you left without a backward glance? Or when you didn't call me or pick up my calls after the launch party?" he asked bitterly. "You don't seem to have any trouble making choices that don't include me." He knew this wasn't the way to handle her, but he couldn't seem to stop the words.

Veronica seemed surprised by his bitterness. "I never wanted to hurt you," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," he said, holding her gaze. He didn't think he had the words to describe how sorry he was. His disappointment over their meeting was crushing. Logan didn't think he could deal with anymore pretense or false hope. He was ready to call it a night and end his torment.

Veronica turned to Logan and whispered, "What do you want from me, Logan?"

"Nothing you're prepared to give obviously," he said draining his beer. "Same old Veronica. You have more polish and a stick in the mud new boyfriend, but you still don't see what's right in front of you. I don't think I have the energy to play the game again. Nothing changes. You don't know how to bend. At least not with me. But I bet you do a lot of compromising for your current man, though." With one last glance at her, he stood up. "Well, this has been great, but I'm going to head out. Got some stuff to do in the morning." He walked away without a backward glance. It felt good being the one to walk away for a change.

******_The Next Day*****_

Logan had booked a suite in the Grand for the reunion weekend. He figured it'd be easier to participate in the reunion activities. Of course, a part of him had been motivated by the hope it'd allow him to spend more time with Veronica. Dick had told him that she'd reserved a room in his hotel. Now he was regretting his decision. He went downstairs to meet Wallace the next morning. He had called him the night before not long after he'd made it back to his room for the night. Wallace had asked if he'd be interested in a game of golf at the hotel. Logan figured it was his excuse to grill Logan over Veronica. He'd upset her. Maybe Wallace wanted to give him a brotherly talking to. The idea amused Logan, so he had agreed to meet him for an early breakfast. If the breakfast went well, Logan would play a round or two of golf.

However, when Logan made it to restaurant in the hotel they had agreed to meet at, Wallace called to cancel. He said Darrel had a soccer game, and Wallace hadn't known about it the night before. Since he now lived in Chicago, Wallace didn't get to go to many of his brother's games.

So that was how Logan found himself sitting alone at a table drinking coffee and reading the paper. He looked up in surprise when a voice called out his name.

"Logan. It's good to see you," Keith Mars said.

Logan smiled and looked at the two men standing a few steps behind him. He recognized Cliff and Veronica's boyfriend. Logan couldn't help but enjoy the fact that Keith seemed sincere. It had only taken him a decade to finally win over Veronica's dad.

"It's good to be seen. I was supposed to be having breakfast and play a round of golf with your stepson, but he stood me up," Logan said.

"Would you like some company? We were going to grab a bite before heading out for a round ourselves," Keith said.

"A fourth person would allow us to play teams," Cliff said with a grin. He eyed Veronica's new man with interest. It was obvious to Logan that the Mars' long time friend was hoping for some fireworks. Logan snickered. It'd be his pleasure to provide the morning's entertainment. He'd always like this particular public defender.

"Well, I have no other offers, so sure," Logan said with a shrug. "Won't you guys join me?"

The three men sat down. Cliff sat on Logan's left, and Keith sat on his right. It left Veronica's boyfriend in the seat immediately across from him. Logan smiled in anticipation. This should be fun.

A server came to the table and took their orders. Cliff gave Logan a mischievous smile and said, "So Logan what's your net worth approaching these days? A billion?"

Joshua looked taken aback at the comment. It was obvious he hadn't realized the circles his girlfriend was used to dealing in. "No. I think it's more like a half a billion," Logan said carelessly. "Of course, that's just my own assets. I guess if I factor in EM Squared Enterprises and all its assets, you may be right."

"I didn't realize Veronica's friends were so well to do," Joshua said.

"Neptune is full of too many millionaires. Veronica's first boyfriend was Duncan Kane. She told you about him, right?" Cliff said gleefully.

"The guy whose sister was murdered?" Joshua asked. Then he gave Logan a pointed look. "Wasn't it your father that killed her?"

"Yeah, I come from dangerous stock," Logan replied. Let the man know exactly who he was dealing with. Logan wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

"Have you heard from Duncan since he fled with his daughter?" Keith asked, curious to see if Logan would say anything.

"Now, Sheriff, you know it was your daughter and not me that helped him escape," Logan said with a smirk. Joshua's look of surprise at the revelation gave him pleasure. Guess Veronica wasn't anymore forthcoming with him than she'd been with Logan. "Duncan is his billionaire's father's sole heir. He has plenty of resources to stay anonymous."

Logan could see from Joshua's expression that Veronica had kept a lot of details from her lover. His pleasure in the morning increased. He gave Cliff a wicked glance. Cliff knew the trouble he was causing and relished in it.

"I kind of thought he'd use his father's funds to clear a way to come back home," Keith said. "The Mannings lost custody of Grace after she almost died in one of their twisted punishments. Duncan could easily come home if he really wanted."

"Maybe he's enjoying the freedom of not being the Kane heir apparent. His life's his own," Logan said. He knew exactly where his friend was and how to contact him. Duncan found life away from his parents and their expectations much better than he ever dreamed. He had met a woman who loved him and his daughter. Logan's contact with his old friend was infrequent, but some ties remained unbreakable.

The ordered food arrived. Conversation died as the men consumed their breakfast. Cliff obviously wanted some real fireworks, so he turned to Joshua and asked, "So when are you and Veronica going to get hitched?"

If Cliff expected the question to take the man off guard, he was disappointed. Joshua smiled easily. "Maybe in another year or so. Our life is pretty perfect right now. We're in no rush," he said.

Logan's hand tightened around his coffee mug. The thought of Veronica legally belonging to another man made him lose his appetite. He put down his fork and pushed back the plate.

"You know I always thought, Logan, you'd be the one to end up with Veronica," Cliff said. "You saved her life how many times?"

Logan shrugged. "A few. But she saved me a time or two. It was our thing," he said with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked.

"Well, the first time was when Liam Fitzpatrick had her by the throat and was about to tattoo her face at the River Styx. But I'm not sure if he was going to kill her or just maim her," Logan said thoughtfully.

"What?" Keith asked in surprise.

"Oops! Guess your little princess neglected to share that one, huh?" Logan said, grinning.

"Then you saved her from Dick's brother on the roof of this very hotel a decade ago on graduation night, right?" Cliff prodded.

"Ugly memory," Logan said with a grimace.

"That was this hotel?" Joshua asked. "And your friend bought the place his brother died at? That's a bit twisted."

"Yeah, Dick's never been quite normal," Logan said with a smirk. He actually understood Dick's reasoning, to him it was a way to honor the brother he always believed he'd failed. There was no way he was going to say that to the tool though.

"Then at Hearst, you saved her from the campus rapist," Keith said, giving him a grateful look. The night he and Logan stayed up with her until the drugs had been purged from her system was when he had finally understood exactly how much Logan loved his daughter.

"Never a dull moment with you two," Cliff observed.

"Maybe if there had been a bit more dullness, we'd have last longer," Logan said dryly.

"There's a lot to say for passion," Cliff said with a grin.

"I believe your passions have gotten you into trouble a bit too often," Keith said, giving his old friend a knowing look.

"Now, Keith. We're here to get to know your daughter's new man friend," Cliff said. "No reason to talk out of school."

"Oh, Cliff, you got a juicy story?" Logan said.

"Or two," Keith said, smiling at his friend. "Don't worry, Cliff. I'd never give any details about your baby momma away."

Logan choked on his coffee at Keith's purposely dropped hint. "You have a baby-mama? No way! Anyone I know?" Logan asked with a gleeful grin.

Cliff frowned at Keith. "So much for friendship," he grumbled.

"Hey, you're the one trying to start trouble with my daughter and her special gentleman friend here," Keith said, gesturing to Joshua.

"You have a kid? Tell us!" Logan demanded.

"My son is a year and a half. The mother is much younger than I, but she is a good mom," Cliff said.

"Younger as in a teenager?" Logan asked.

"No! Of course not!" Cliff said hotly. He looked at Keith who was laughing. "She's your age."

"So she _is_ someone I know!" Logan said excitedly.

"She isn't anyone special. More like a drunken hook-up that yielded unexpected results," Cliff said loftily.

"Did you get proof of the paternity?" Joshua asked.

"Of course! I am an attorney, too, you know," Cliff said in a haughty tone.

"Oh yeah? What kind?" Joshua asked.

"Criminal. Who do you think helped keep your girlfriend out of jail for all her borderline criminal activities?" Cliff asked with a grin.

"Borderline? She blackmailed Jake Kane," Logan reminded him.

Joshua frowned, clearly not liking all the things he was finding out about his girlfriend.

"Well, I think that's enough chit-chat," Keith said, knowing his daughter was not going to be pleased about all the things they talked about today.

"We can't leave until Cliff here tells us who his baby-mamma is!" Logan said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Why don't you join us for a round of golf and wager him for her name?" Keith suggested, enjoying watching Cliff squirm for a change.

Logan's expression brightened. "Okay! What's the teams? The youngsters versus you old coots?" Logan asked with a grin. He looked across at Joshua. "Think we can take him?"

"I know I can," Joshua said arrogantly. "I often meet clients on a golf course."

"Well, then, you can team up with Cliff. He needs all the help he can get," Logan said as he flashed Cliff a smirk.

Keith chuckled. "Fine with me," he said.

A short time later, the four men began to play. Logan saw right away that Joshua's arrogance wasn't unfounded. He was really good. However, so was Logan. His father had made sure of that. Having a young son show skill at an adult game had been a source of pride for Aaron. Logan mostly hated golf because it reminded him of all those father-son moments. However, he did have a natural drive that never seemed to fail.

Keith, too, played a decent game. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said of Cliff. Logan snickered every time he hit the ball. His partner didn't appreciate his lack of skill. Joshua seemed to take the game way too seriously.

"Please tell me that your daughter isn't serious about this guy," Logan said to Keith when Joshua was occupied lecturing Cliff on the best way to swing his club.

"Well, he's lasted longer than any other guy, so I'd guess she's pretty serious," Keith said with a shrug. "They live together you know."

"No, I didn't. I didn't even know she was serious about anyone. Mac isn't much of a gossip," Logan said unhappily.

Keith sympathized with Logan, who had turned out to be an upstanding young man. A man Keith would've been happy to have as his son-in-law. "Veronica cares about him. I know that. But whether or not they'll make it to marriage remains to be seen," Keith said. "In my day, if you were crazy about a girl, you didn't wait years to propose and make your claim legal. But I'm old fashioned."

Logan smiled at Keith, liking the way he thought. Logan knew that if he had another chance with Veronica, he wouldn't let her spend too much of that mental energy of hers overthinking things. Then he frowned again. Veronica didn't seem to care much about what could be with him. Suddenly, he lost his desire to hang out with the two men in Veronica's life. It depressed the hell out of him. His gloom lifted slightly, however, when Joshua missed an easy putt and threw his golf club in frustration.

"Guess you need to spend some time taking Veronica miniature golfing," Logan said brightly. "If I remember correctly, she loves it!" He felt supreme satisfaction when the guy's eyes darkened in anger. He thought about adding it was just one of a hundred things he knew Veronica loved, but he didn't think Keith would appreciate a lot of the things Logan knew about his daughter.

"Cliff, it's time to pay up," Logan said when it became clear the round was over. His mouth fell open in dumbfounded amazement when Cliff mumbled the name of his son's mother. "You're joking!"

Cliff sighed. "I wish I was," he said. He threw his golf club at Logan when Logan burst out laughing.

Logan had to duck, but he didn't quit laughing. He couldn't. It was too unbelievable. "Next time you throw a club you need to yell 'Fore'" Logan chastised between howls of laughter. "Does Veronica know?" he inquired, glancing at Keith.

"No. And I'd like to keep it that way, please," Cliff said.

"Knowing a secret that the great P.I. doesn't know? No problem," Logan said with a smirk.

"P.I.?" Joshua asked in confusion.

"As in private investigator," Logan clarified. When Joshua still looked confused, he said, "Surely, Veronica told you that she used to be a licensed private investigator and worked for her dad when he had his own P.I. business?"

A light came on in Joshua's face. "That's why she's so good! She told me it was all the studying she did in college. She insisted that UCLA was just better than Stanford, where I went," Joshua said.

"So how long have you and Veronica dated?" Logan asked.

"Three years. We've been living together for two," he said.

"And in all that time she didn't tell you that she spent her high school years solving major crimes, including the murder of her best friend after the city fired her father for insisting the Kanes were covering up evidence? Or that she almost single handedly uncovered the fact that Cassidy Casablancas was behind the school bus bombing that killed eight of our classmates? Or did she forget to tell you about how she stopped the campus rapists while almost being a victim of them?" Logan asked. "I could go on, but it's obvious you have no idea who Veronica Mars really is."

Joshua took a step toward Logan. "What the hell's that supposed to mean? I know my girlfriend!" he said grimly.

"Not as well as you thought you did. She's made herself over into this polished lawyer image, but I've seen her bring down grown men with that taser of hers. I bet you think it's just an ornament to make her feel safe like a woman carrying pepper spray," Logan said smugly.

"That's enough, Logan," Keith said warningly.

"It's okay, Keith," Joshua said in a reasonable tone. "It's good that I learn more about your daughter. After all, she's going to be my wife." Logan's eyes darkened in anger at his words-just like the man wanted. He knew Logan still cared about Veronica. He was making it clear how unimportant Logan was. Logan had to give him props for that. When the man coolly walked back to the the golf cart, Logan felt that he may have lost that round.

Cliff slapped Logan on the back in consolation. "Cheer up, Logan. There's no way Veronica's going to marry that slick lawyer. He's so not her type," Cliff said confidently. "He's a defense attorney. There's no way they'll go the distance."

"Hey, don't go wishing a broken heart on my daughter," Keith said in disapproval.

"You honestly think _that_ guy could break your daughter's heart?" Cliff asked in disbelief.

The three men stood there and watched as the guy in question took off in their golf cart, forcing them to walk back on foot.

"What a poor loser!" Cliff complained.

"Or just a loser," Logan added with a grin.

*******_A Few Hours Later*******_

After his golf game, Logan went to the hotel gym and worked off some of his anger. He couldn't seem to erase the image of Veronica with her boyfriend. Picturing them in bed together was about to make him crazy. He decided to go relax in the hot tub. He blinked in surprise to see Veronica coming out of it. She was dressed in a very tiny dark blue bikini. He groaned. Why did God have such a twisted sense of humor? She'd put on some weight in all the right places since high school. Logan willed himself to keep his eyes on her face. However, he knew how she looked in that bikini would be burned into his memory.

She looked equally surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, a bit too suspiciously for Logan's taste.

"I booked a room here for the weekend. Figured it would be easier," he said.

"The penthouse?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Where else? It's like my home away from home," he replied.

"It was your home for too long," Veronica remarked.

"Where's Mac and Alison?" Logan asked, changing the subject. He didn't want to dwell on all the times they'd both spent in that particular hotel room.

"They are getting massages," Veronica said. "I wanted to soak in the tub first. Working in high heels often leaves me with achy feet. The hot water is really nice."

"Well, don't let me keep you," Logan said dismissively. He could tell his easy dismissal of her caught her by surprise. He felt some grim satisfaction that she looked nonplussed. When he finally settled in the hot tub, he saw Veronica still standing there looking down at him, a frown on her face. Then she seemed to realize what she was doing and quickly left.

After spending a half hour in the hot tub, Logan went up to his room to shower and change. He debated on whether or not to bother going to the pool party that afternoon. He wasn't sure he could handle seeing a scantly clad Veronica draped around her boyfriend. However, he knew not showing up would reek of cowardice. Not to mention Dick would never let him live it down. He went downstairs to grab some lunch. He sighed in resignation when he saw Alicia, Allison, Mac, and Veronica eating at a table. There was no escaping her.

Logan decided he wasn't in the mood to be social, so he just waved at them and had the server sit him at the bar, which was as far from temptation as he could get. He was eating his meal when his cousin joined him.

"Hey," Logan said. He glanced over at her abandoned table. He noticed that Veronica wasn't there anymore. "Your spa day over already?"

"I think so," Allison said. "Veronica's boyfriend pulled her away. He didn't look happy."

Logan snickered. "Probably 'cause he's finding out that the girl he's living with isn't the girl everyone here knows," Logan replied.

"Logan, what did you do?" she asked with a frown.

"Nothing. But I did play golf and have breakfast with the man this morning," he revealed.

Allison looked surprised. She knew how much her cousin loved Veronica Mars, so his confession obviously didn't make sense. "How did that happen?" she asked.

"Wallace stood me up, and I was eating alone. Keith Mars asked if they could join me. How could I say no?" Logan said with a mischievous grin.

Allison laughed. "I hope you didn't cause any problems for them. Veronica seems really happy with him," Allison said.

"Veronica is good at pretending. But how happy can she be in L.A.? That's not her kind of town. People change, but no one changes _that _much," Logan replied. "How was I supposed to know she'd kept a lot of important details for her devoted boyfriend?"

Allison shook her head. "I hope you know what you're doing," she said. "Eli admires her more than just about anyone."

"Not more than you," Logan pointed out.

Allison blushed. "No, of course not. But she's important to him," Allison said.

"She's important to a lot of people. She's a survivor, so you can relax. I'm sure she's got her guy wrapped around her little finger," Logan said. "So how are you? You seem particularly fetching today."

"I had a wrap and a heavenly massage! It was pretty amazing," she said.

"You know, anytime you need to come here or want to, just let me know. I'll make Dick comp it for you," Logan said.

"Eli wouldn't like that," Allison said.

"Eli can kiss my ass," Logan said with a smirk. "Weevil won't deny you anything. Especially when you start popping out children."

"You know?" she asked in surprise.

Logan grinned. "I know you love a good glass of wine but didn't have any for some reason last night," he replied. "Congratulations, cuz. I'm really happy for you."

Allison leaned over to hug him. "I wanted to tell you right away, but we decided to wait a bit. I'm going to tell Mac and Veronica later, so don't say anything to anyone, okay?" she asked.

"My lips are sealed. You are going to name him after me, right?" Logan said.

"I'm not God. There's some things beyond my capabilities," she remarked, grinning. He and Weevil had become friendly if not friends over the years. However, Logan knew that there was no way in hell Weevil would name a kid after him. Teasing him over the thought, though, would provide Logan with vast amounts of entertainment.

"Just think of all the fun I'm going to have the next few months," Logan said eagerly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Take it easy, please. Eli is a nervous wreck," Allison shared.

"Good. My tormenting him will keep him from falling apart," Logan said with satisfaction. Now that there was no real animosity-at least on his part-toward Weevil, he found it so easy to provoke and annoy his one time rival.

She laughed. "I'm going to go back to the girls. Behave," she said as she leaned over to kiss Logan's cheek.

Logan loved having a real family connection. Most people didn't know their third cousins. Logan had so little family, however, that he held his relationship with Allison close to his heart. When she'd first came to town, Logan had been wary and suspicious. His memory of his new found brother still fresh and the anger toward the reporter that played him still stung. But Allison wouldn't let him keep her at arms length. She was so genuine, so easy to like. It took him awhile to realize how much she was like his mother. He'd almost forgotten all the great things about his mom in light of her abandonment and death. Allison brought back his good memories of her. If they hadn't become such good friends, he would've been grateful to her for that alone.

She was an elementary education major and finished her last two years at Hearst. Logan had been dismayed when she'd fallen for Weevil. Neither men were prepared for the sudden connection between them. Veronica had always been a bridge that caused more harm than good between them. Seeing his cousin in love with the notorious former gang leader had at first angered him. He tried to convince her that Weevil was no good.

But Allison was more like Mac than Veronica. She didn't automatically distrust everyone. She was much more optimistic than his partner, though. Like Lynn Echolls, Allison was kind and generous. She looked for the best in people and usually found it. Sometimes Logan thought only his mother could've loved Aaron. If there was really any goodness in his father, that was what his mother had fallen in love with. Logan was more than relieved to discover that Weevil was far from his father Aaron. Weevil worshiped his cousin and never denied her much. Nor would he ever raise a hand to her. Logan was glad that his cousin married a man who lived in Neptune. It had allowed them to stay close over the years. In her, he found the sister he had never had in Trina. She was an only child and considered Logan the brother she'd never had. It was nice to know that someone besides Dick would truly mourn his passing.

Early in the afternoon, Logan was back in the suite, debating what to wear to the pool party. A knock on his door pulled him away from his contemplation. He opened the door.

"Veronica?" he questioned, obviously surprised to see her at his hotel door.

Veronica didn't wait for an invitation but pushed her way inside. Logan closed the door behind her. "Come in, I guess," he said dryly.

"How dare you!" Veronica fumed.

"How dare I what?" he asked.

"How dare you go behind my back and talk to Joshua!" she accused.

Logan realized that Joshua must have shared his surprise at what he learned today. He wasn't going to be her punching bag, however. "Calm down, Bobcat! I didn't go behind your back and do anything. Ask you father. He was there. Cliff is the one who started the trip down memory lane," Logan said.

"I bet you just loved recounting our history to him, though," Veronica said with more than a touch of bitterness.

"Is that what he told you? That's not how it went down. How was I supposed to know that the man you live with knows very little about your history? The Veronica Mars I knew and loved wouldn't live with a guy she didn't trust enough to tell the most basic facts about herself," Logan said pointedly.

His dig obviously hit home because Veronica looked away. "I trust him just fine. I just liked him only seeing me as who I am now," she shared.

"And who are you now, Veronica? Because I sure as hell don't recognize you," Logan said sourly.

"I haven't changed that much. I just quit letting my past define me. I focus on the future and the life I have now," Veronica said defensively.

"Your life in Los Angeles? That's not you, Veronica. All those pretentious people. That guy you're living with is more so than most. You've changed more than you think if you can be satisfied with so little," Logan said.

"You don't know anything about me or my life with Joshua," Veronica said, her voice rising.

Logan took a step toward her. "I wonder how much you could possibly love him. Why are you living with him and not married? He doesn't want the commitment or is it you that don't know if he's the right one for you?" Logan asked.

"That's none of your business!" Veronica said angrily. "Don't talk about me to him."

Having said what she came to say, she turned to leave, but Logan quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back toward him. Her body hit his and she let out a breath of surprise. "What are you doing?" she asked warily.

"I want to know if it's still there," Logan said, suddenly determined to know if she would still come alive in his arms.

"What?" she asked. But she knew. Logan could see her looking at his mouth. He smiled and bent down to take possession of her lips. On a sigh, her mouth opened and his arms tightened around her as his tongue plunged inside to mate with hers. Passion exploded between them. Logan kissed her like he'd been dreaming about kissing her for the past eight years. Yearning that had built for so long now finally found an outlet.

Instead of pushing him away, she returned the kiss with equal fervor. It was never ending; their lips and tongues fused together like only old lovers' could. Each knew and recalled exactly how the other liked to be kissed. Memories of other times came rushing back fanning the embers to a flame. Neither could seem to get enough. Finally, Logan broke the kiss off and trailed his lips down her neck, breathing heavily. Her soft moan penetrated the fog of lust that surrounded him. He wanted to capture her lips again and keep on kissing her. However, he couldn't. He didn't want to be another thing she regretted. His eyes meet hers, now darkened with passion.

Her mouth formed an O of surprise. The kiss had obviously shaken her. Logan leg her go and stepped back. "I guess I know," he said simply.

Veronica's hand flew to her lips and her gaze locked with his in disbelief. Logan knew she hadn't expected the kiss and was deeply rattled by it. Without saying a word, she turned and fled his room.

Logan stood there a moment, almost afraid it'd been a dream. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He gulped it down. His fingers went to his own lips. Evidence of the passion he'd just experienced could be felt. He was relieved. It had really happened.

He put down the drink, a wide smile broke out on his face. Veronica Mars still wanted him. Knowledge of that simple fact filled him with joy.

"I'm back in the game!" he said aloud. Now he turned eagerly back to his clothes choices. He couldn't wait to see what the rest of the reunion held in store.

******TO BE CONTINUED********

_If Logan's line sounds familiar at the end here, that's because it comes from one of my favorite movies "10 Things I Hate About You". It's said by Joseph Gordan Levitt's character._

_Review? Muchas Gracias! Merci! Thanks! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

**So here is BewitchingRedhead36's Dick chapter. 95% of it is all hers! Although it's supposed to be all Dick POV, I couldn't resist a few introspective lines! I know you're going to love it 'cause it's highly entertaining!**

**It is rated M for mature due to some very sexy sex! :) Compliments of BewitchingRedhead36!**

Chapter 4: Dick's POV

Dick was chatting with his old classmates and that tool Veronica was dating, Joshua something, when suddenly someone shouted the words most guys dreamed of hearing "chick fight!" Dick was no exception to that guy rule; his ears perked up. Like a homing device, he wandered over to the spot where two girls were going at it, a petite brunette and a tall blonde. Logan, and the rest of their group joined Dick at the sidelines; they had a nice view of the action. It didn't take long at all for Dick to realize his Mac was the brunette in question._ His? Where the hell did that thought come from?_ he wondered, but this wasn't the time for self-reflection.

He observed the fight between Mac and Madison with a confusing mishmash of emotions. First, he'd managed to spin it in his mind so the fight was over him. Hot! However, he'd also got the sense there was a lot more to the story. He'd overheard Mac say something about the going home with the wrong families. Then Logan told Veronica this whole thing was inevitable now that the truth had come out.

What the hell did they put in the Neptune water supply? The one person he'd always believed to have had a stable family life had her own Gothic secret. Dick was a firm believer in the Neptune curse. Hell, he thought the Casablancas family could have posed for the brochure. And the biggest mind fuck of all was that this meant Mac was supposed to be Madison and Madison was supposed to be Mac. Where would they be if the switch had never happened? Maybe they would've lasted longer than high school since Mac was definitely not the soul sucking bitch Madison was. Would he be married now to Madison who was actually Mac? If he thought about that too long, he'd get a migraine.

Fortunately, that train wreck of a thought was derailed when Veronica tased Madison (the "real" Madison) and Ratner finally did the job he was paid very well for and broke up the fight. Though the bitch of it was, if Dick was honest with himself, the thought of a happily ever after ending with Mac regardless of whether her name was Mac—or Madison—wasn't really such a train wreck. He wasn't thinking marriage, of course, he liked his life as it was, successful bachelor business man. However, the idea of sharing his life with someone, that wasn't an altogether unwelcome thought. He wasn't exactly overflowing with family these days. Cassidy had been dead ten years now, and his mom had sent exactly two birthday cards and one Christmas card in the past decade. His dad had moved to Idaho with trophy wife number four, looking for that fresh start, which of course meant a whole new sea of victims to cheat out of their hard earned savings.

One look at Mac lying on the wet, beer soaked carpet, however, shoved all thoughts of his dysfunctional Brady Bunch family life out of Dick's mind. She was lying so still and unmoving on the nasty carpet. He felt a little frisson of panic overcome him at the idea that she was hurt. Madison had several inches and probably a good fifty pounds over her. He hovered over her, anxious and feeling helpless. Mac must have sensed his presence, however, because she opened her beautiful blue eyes and looked up at him.

"You okay there, Scrappy Do?" he asked, a worried expression hijacking his face.

"Peachy. Now get me off this floor. You really need to wash the carpets." A look of repulsion crossed Mac's face as she lifted up her right hand so Dick could haul her up.

As soon as he grasped it though, Mac let out a scream. "Stop!" she finally said.

"You okay, Macster?" Dick asked in alarm at her shout. He let go of her hand the second she screamed, hating the thought that he'd caused her any pain.

"No. Definitely not! Turns out punching someone really hurts. I always knew she had rocks in her head. I think I just proved that hypothesis," Mac said, as she cradled her injured hand.

He loved that she used big words even after a fight. Pain usually rendered him monosyllabic but not his Mac. His? There was that word again.

He teased her about her use of big words. Then Dick gently scooped her up off the floor and carried her to a stool by the bar. Soon the others joined them, hovering over Mac. She laughed and joked, reassuring everyone she was okay.

Ten minutes or so later, she started to get up off the stool. Dick presumed she was going to head to her room. He'd taken a peak earlier that day at the guest log; her name had jumped out at him.

Realizing that he didn't want his time with Mac to end, he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I have a spare room, Ghostworld. Stay with me." He was surprised though when she ended up saying yes.

They said their goodbyes. Dick was amused by all the looks everyone was giving them, especially Ronnie. He tried to hide his smug grin. He had been pleased that Mac had allowed him to help her down from the bar stool and followed him out of the ballroom. Dick was realizing that there was a lot more to Logan's partner than he'd ever suspected. She was walking very slowly and didn't even object when Dick put his arm around her, giving her something to lean against. "Come on, Oscar de la Hoya, let's get you back to my place," he said cheerfully.

As they made their way through the vast Casablancas ballroom, Dick avoided glancing at the memorials set up for the bus crash victims. Concentrating on supporting Mac proved to be a good distraction.

Ten years hadn't been enough to erase the guilt he felt about Cassidy. The memorial was a reminder that smacked him in the face. No one was more surprised than Dick when it turned out it was his brother who was ultimately responsible for killing their classmates. It was just one of many things he was still struggling to deal with even after all these years. Could he have saved them if he'd known of Cassidy's own experience as a victim of Woody Goodman? He tried many times to find the answer to that question, and so many more, at the bottom of a Vodka bottle. He was still trying to accept he'd probably never really be able to answer that question.

The place in front of the Grand where Cassidy jumped to his death was another reminder; one he confronted every day of his life these days. However, in spite of that, or maybe more because of that, as soon as the Grand hotel was put up for sale two years ago, Dick knew he had to buy it. He couldn't let this place fall into the hands of anyone else, a cold, hard conglomerate who would run this place from the boardroom and would only see the bottom line. The place had fallen in disrepair since the economy bottomed out in 2009. He was so happy with how all the renovations had turned out, especially the world-class spa and the golf course, two of his bigger money makers. He had done it all for Cassidy, but that was something he kept out of the PR literature. Ultimately, despite all the pain Cassidy managed to cause in his seventeen short years of life, he was still his brother, and his life had mattered to Dick.

As they passed the Bus Crash Memorial that Dick purposely avoided looking at, he felt Mac glancing up at him. She gave him a look of pity perhaps, but not really that so much as empathy. She seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. He gave her a half smile.

"Can I give you some constructive criticism about your whole fighting stance, Mackenzie?" he asked before she could start trying to get him to talk about feelings and shit like that.

"Just in case I decide to go pro?"

"Maybe. I think you'd rock that featherweight class." He didn't even try to hide the fact he was scoping her body out.

"Well, if the ass business ever goes south, maybe it would be a good back up plan," she quipped.

"I don't think your ass will ever go south," Dick said with a leer, unable to let that opportunity pass by. Then he continued with his fighting advice. "Anyway, you should always get the first punch in. You most likely hurt your hand because you were tucking that thumb in; it should always be on the outside." Dick demonstrated the proper technique with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Mac.

"When you throw a punch, you need to be snapping your wrist, you did not do that. That's advice any boxing coach would give you. I figure it probably works pretty well for the next time you're in a chick fight in a bar, too."

"Can I hire you as my manager?"

"I can probably squeeze you in between board meetings."

"How nice of you, Mr. Big Shot."

"I get called that a lot," Dick stated proudly.

"I don't want to hear about your bedroom prowess," Mac said, rolling her eyes.

"I was actually still talking about my boardroom prowess, but if you insist on knowing about my bedroom technique as well, I can do better than tell you. I'll just show you," Dick said suggestively. He smiled at her eye roll. "You started it, Mackie."

"And you're finishing it."

"I think that's something we'll do together." Dick said confidently. He opened the double doors and gently guided Mac out into the marble lobby of the hotel.

"I see you still have that 09'er confidence," Mac said. "I'll enjoy knocking it down a few pegs."

Dick just shot her a knowing look but didn't reply. He then signaled the tall redhead behind the front desk. She left her post and went over to them.

"Yes, Mr. Casablancas?"

"Could you phone ahead to the valet desk and have them bring my truck around, please?"

"Right away, sir."

"Thank you, Stacey." Dick said, reading his employee's name tag. She smiled in response, probably believing he knew her name. She went back to the desk and picked up the phone.

"Sir?" Mac repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"What can I say? They respect me around here," he said grinning smugly.

"You sign their checks."

"Still cynical I see."

"It's not cynical; it's realistic."

This time it was Dick's turn to quirk his brow. "However you want to justify."

The automatic doors opened, and they spilled out onto the sidewalk. Dick guided them to a bench off to the left of the entryway, so they could relax as they waited for his big black Ram crew cab. Time had not erased his love of trucks and surfing, of course. The air was warm, and there was a slight breeze wafting the salty scent of the ocean less than a mile away.

Mac stretched her legs in front of her and then groaned a little. "I'm too old for this," she grumped.

"Next time may I suggest mud wrestling; it would provide a softer surface to roll around in," Dick said helpfully.

"Now you tell me," Mac said with a weary sigh. "Shockingly, this wasn't a planned smack down."

"I can't think of anyone who deserved to have her ass handed to her more than Madison, though," Dick said.

"True," Mac agreed, but didn't elaborate further.

Dick's truck pulled up and the valet got out and went over to them. "Here you are, sir. Have a good night."

"Thanks. You too," Dick said politely, handing the guy a $20 tip.

Mac saw the bill exchange hands and looked over at him. "Generous of you," she observed.

"Gotta spread the wealth. Just doing my part!" he said with a grin.

She laughed, both amused and impressed by his careless generosity.

They walked over the truck, but when he tried to help her climb up and into the front seat she shook off his offer. "I'm fine. I got this," Mac assured him.

Dick went around to the driver's side. Once he was settled in, his seatbelt fastened around him, he looked over and saw Mac still struggling with hers. She seemed to have issues doing things with only the use of her left hand.

Without asking if she needed help because he already knew what the answer would be, Dick leaned over and snapped her seatbelt together. "I would have got it eventually," Mac complained.

"You're welcome," Dick said keeping his smirk to himself.

He started the truck and headed off towards his beach house. It was only ten minutes from the hotel but was really his own little escape.

"No, really, I could have done it myself," Mac continued.

"Whatever," Dick said hoping to end her feminist rant before she really got started. "So, now that you're handicapped, how are you going to steal state secrets and make evil dictators sit up and beg? Or whatever the hell you two do at EM Squared."

"You have no idea what all I can accomplish one handed," Mac said coyly.

"I have a few ideas. In fact, I'm picturing one right now," Dick grinned lasciviously.

"I know, I know, I walked right into that one. But anyway, I gave up stealing state secrets for New Year's. I still like to make evil dictators sit up and beg though," Mac teased.

"I gave up drinking for New Year's," Dick shared.

"Wasn't that vodka in your glass tonight?" Mac asked.

"I didn't say it stuck. That resolution lasted about six days!"

"At least you tried," Mac said reassuringly.

"Sometimes though, Mackie, it takes more than just trying. Sometimes you have to actually follow through," Dick said. Even though he addressed it to her, he was really just reminding himself. He was enjoying bantering with Mac and didn't want to stray into heavy conversational territory, so he quickly changed the subject. "Well, now, I guess Logan will have to pick up your slack at work for the next couple of days."

"That's right. He can do all the work for the change, and I can just be the pretty face behind EM Squared Enterprises."

"Logan is who you cast as the pretty face? Logan Echolls?" Dick scoffed.

"Well, I'm the brains. Someone had to be the beauty." Mac quipped. "Besides, I thought he was your BFF."

"My BFF? Maybe if I were a thirteen year old girl. But yes, Logan is my best friend, but our bromance does not extend to me labeling him as a pretty face. Now you on the other hand..." Dick said, letting his voice trail off at the end.

Before long, they were pulling into the long driveway of his palatial home. Right on the beach, the house itself was a white washed stucco house in the Spanish mission style. However, what had really sold him was the balcony outside the master bedroom with its (2) million dollar ocean view.

"Wow," Mac said. "I'm impressed. This place is gorgeous."

"You seem surprised," Dick commented.

"Not surprised exactly. I guess I just thought you'd live in an apartment or condo maybe."

"Well, what about you? Where are you living these days?"

"A condo," Mac said sardonically."I'm not ready for a house commitment these days. Or really any commitment I guess. For example, my only pet is my Venus Flytrap."

"Your what?" Dick asked.

"Venus Flytrap. It's a plant."

"I don't even have one of those," Dick said. "Well, a living one at least. My decorator put up a couple fake trees." He got out of his truck and went around to Mac's side and opened the door. Without waiting, he reached around to unhook her belt. He bit his lip to keep from laughing at Mac's mock glare. At least he assumed it was mock. "I'm chivalrous."

"I know you, remember," Mac reminded him. She climbed out of the monstrosity and  
followed Dick through the door and into his modern stainless steel, cooks paradise  
kitchen. "Did you turn chef on me?" she asked as she walked around the massive space.

Dick watched with amusement as she opened cabinets and drawers, peaked in his fridge, ran her  
fingers over the cool granite counter tops.

"Have you never been in a kitchen before?" he asked with a smirk. "You look like you've never seen one before."

"Oh, that's what this place is. Did not know that's what it was called," she teased. "I actually have one of my own, but it's really more for show. I order awesome take out, though."

"I'm skilled in that art myself. This kitchen is great at impressing the ladies." He quirked his eyebrow.

"I'm _so_ not impressed," Mac quickly informed him.

"Riiight," Dick said drawing the word out. "Would you like the grand tour?"

"Maybe later. I'd love a bottled water now, though," Mac said.

Dick grabbed the bottle out of his Viking French door refrigerator and opened it before pressing it into her left hand. As Mac took a big sip, he gently grabbed her right hand. He flinched when he saw her wincing in pain. It was pretty swollen and bruises were starting to show. "Damn, Scrappy Do. Remind me not to piss you off." He went back to his freezer to grab an ice pack. He softly draped it around her hand. "Come on upstairs, I'll wrap it up for you."

"Upstairs, huh?" Mac said raising her eyebrow.

"What? You think this is part of my dastardly plans to get you into my lair?" Dick said with a cartoon-like growl.

"Um, yes, that's exactly what I was thinking," Mac confessed.

"Well, maybe in part. But the other, bigger part, is to give you a little check up. Treat you to a little TLC Casablancas-style."

"You are such a dork," Mac laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I thought you liked dorks," Dick said. "No, wait, that's me now, apparently. Seriously, you do need to get that hand wrapped up. I don't think you broke anything, but you sprained the shit out of it. I've been in a few bar fights in my day. I'm sure that's shocking to you since you've always had such a great impression of me."

"Sprained the shit out of it? Is that accepted medical jargon? Look, high school was a long time ago. People change. I know that. Hell, I know that better than almost anyone. Think I would have been in a bar fight with Madison Sinclair ten years ago? Hell no. I probably wouldn't have five years ago. But I don't know, I've had eleven years of knowing my life could have been so easy, so much smoother if there hadn't been that mix up in the hospital. It just festered. Plus, you may not know this, but Madison Sinclair is a bitch." Mac gave Dick a sidewards glance.

"I think I picked that up, you know, having dated her and all. But you're right, if the switch had not happened you, too, could have gone through life as a bitch." Dick did his best game show voice over. "Show her what she won!"

"Okay, okay. Point taken. Show me to your lair."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that. And damn, I left my tape recording spy machine in the other room. Shit," Dick sassed. He took Mac's good hand and led her through a room that opened into  
the main entry hall. He loved watching her face as she took in his modern decor. Damn, his decorator did have great taste, and she was well paid for that skill set. In fact, he used the same decorator that had re-done the Neptune Grand. But she had talked him into a warmer color scheme for his personal domain.

Still supporting Mac, they went up the winding staircase onto the second floor. His bedroom took up most of the left part of the floor, and the wall of windows showcased the perfect view of the ocean. After gently pushing Mac down on his massive California King bed, Dick opened the French doors, which were hidden in his wall of windows. The crashing of the surf hitting the beach made the perfect backdrop Dick thought.

"The windows are tinted so no one can see in," Dick explained.

"Except for the fact the door is wide open," Mac replied.

"Private beach, Macster. Private beach. Plus, being on the second floor we're not exactly in a primo spot for staging our own exhibitionist display. Though if that floats your yacht I can certainly remedy that." He leered at her. "Stay here. I'll be right back with supplies."

Dick went into the adjoining bathroom and rummaged through his linen closet. He grabbed a rolled up ace bandage, some anti-bacterial ointment and a couple band aids. Going back into the bedroom, he saw Mac jerk her hand away from his bedside table and lay back on the bed. Her posture conveyed guilt.

"Doing a little sleuthing there, Mac-attack? I always knew Ronnie was a bad influence."

"Sorry," she mumbled, blushing. Dick couldn't help finding her embarrassment adorable.

"I don't have anything to hide. Okay, take your dress off," he instructed.

Mac just stared at him, raising her eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I need to see your bruises. Remember? The doctor is now in."

Mac still didn't move. "I'm not going to strip down to my skivvies, not without dinner and drinks first. Find me a tee shirt at least then."

"Well, I already bought you drinks, remember? We established already who was paying for the drinks. Plus there were appetizers, too, including some vegan selections for our one token vegan. So we'll count that as dinner. Any more arguments? Because I can counter them all night, but it won't lead to patching you up there, Rocky Balboa," Dick said as he crossed over to his chest of drawers and grabbed one of his favorite tee shirts It said "Got Probe?" Being a remnant from his college days, he figured it would fit Mac better than some of his other sexually suggestive tee shirts. His collection had grown exponentially through the years. This one was a souvenir from his Spring Break trip to Area-51. He and a group of his Pi Sig brothers had gone there sophomore year.

Mac took the offered shirt from him and went into the adjoining bathroom. Dick sat on his bed and laid the first aid supplies on the bedside table on top of the manila folder he'd tossed there the other day. He wondered idly if that was what Mac had been looking at when he caught her snooping. It wasn't classified information or anything, but he didn't want to go into details about the folder's contents at this particular time. It was definitely not pillow talk material to his way of thinking.

Somewhere in his mid-twenties Dick had finally decided he'd never find any answers at the bottom of a vodka bottle, or anywhere else for that matter, but he could at least volunteer his time and business acumen at RAINN, Rape Abuse Incest National Network. Only Logan knew about his involvement in RAINN, but even he didn't know how deep his volunteer work there went. The folder contained last quarters profits and margins. Of course, Logan had his own philanthropy involvements these days as well. Logan was the money man for the First Avenue Youth Center in downtown Neptune. Dick donated his time at least once a month to hang out there with Logan and the teens at the center. It felt good to know that he could help a kid the way he had never been able to help his brother. The irony of the two biggest jackasses of Neptune High working hard to reform troubled kids didn't escape Dick. Maybe it took one to reach one, or however the hell that cliché went.

Mac came out of the bathroom wearing the shirt.

"Wow," Dick said. "You look hot in my clothes. I wonder how you'll look out of them?"

"Do you say everything that pops into your head?" Mac muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Pretty much, yeah," he confessed. "Okay, sit down on the bed." She sat down beside him and bit her bottom lip as Dick gently grasped her right hand and started wrapping the ace bandage around it. "Does that feel okay?"

"Does it have to be so tight?" Mac said, not really whiny but a little plaintively.

"Is it cutting off your circulation?" Dick asked.

"No," she admitted.

"Then yes, it has to be that tight. Rub some dirt in it," he smirked.

"Nurse Ratchet," Mac sniped back.

"There, all done," Dick announced. He admired his wrapping job. "I should go pro."

"Are you done congratulating yourself?" Mac asked. Then she reluctantly admitted, "It does feel better, though."

One look at her facial expression made him opt not to gloat. "Okay, Oscar, roll over onto your stomach now, and I'll look at your back. You smacked that table pretty hard."

"I'm pretty sure you'll find a road map of bruises on my back," Mac complained as she rolled over as he'd asked her to. Dick straddled her legs, being careful to distribute his weight to his knees and moved the tee shirt north so he could get a good view of her back. He felt himself grow hard from the contact, her curvy, sexy body in such close proximity, soft and yielding under him. He flinched a little inwardly though when he saw how many bruises she had.

"All I need is a pen, and I could play connect the dots. Or rather connect the bruises," Dick amended. He softly ghosted his finger tips over her back and couldn't help noticing Mac shiver a little at the contact. He started rubbing her back, tracing circles, studiously avoiding the bruises. "Is this too rough?" he whispered in her ear. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, not too rough. It's just right. You're not hurting me," Mac moaned softly as she arched her back.

As he continued massaging with his hands, he leaned over and started kissing a trail up her spine up to her long neck. He didn't know it was possible to grow even harder, but he felt his penis straining to get out. Reality was proving better than the fantasies. Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie had been starring in many of his better fantasies since before their fateful graduation night. Alterna Prom was the first time he noticed her for more than the geeky girl his brother had an on again/off again thing with, more than just Ronnie's nerdy sidekick. She had on that red dress that was tight in all the right places. Dick had listened in amusement as she alternated between plotting Ronnie's murder and bitching about the longest elevator ride ever. All Dick thought about was kissing those full lips.

At the time, he'd thought it was just to get her to shut up, but the daydream wouldn't leave him alone. Then Cassidy took his dive off the roof of The Grand and things changed. Mac became an easy person to blame. How the hell could she date the Beaver and not have any clue what evil lay inside? It was sure as hell easier to heap the guilt on her than himself. Those damn vodka bottles weren't spilling any secrets of the universe. Then somewhere during the end of freshman year at Hearst the gnawing, consuming grief, guilt, and despair that had buried itself deep inside was starting to dissipate, and Dick began to take more ownership of his feelings. Only then was he able to absolve Mac of the blame that he never should have assigned her in the first place. After his long overdue apology on Dog Beach and their almost kiss, Dick began to have those fantasies of Mac again. This time it was much more of the X-rated variety.

Four years ago at the launch party of EM Squared Enterprises, Dick spent most of the time glued to Mac's side. Well, except for that brief interlude on the balcony when all he did was poke his head out to ask Logan to come in and settle a bet he'd made with Mac and a couple members of her geek posse. He was surprised he didn't vaporize from the twin looks of doom Veronica and Logan had given him. Not shockingly, he had lost the bet—turned out it really is impossible to lick your own elbow—but Mac somehow ended up being unavailable every time he tried to pay up (loser was supposed to buy the winner dinner) through the years. Eventually, he got the message loud and clear. Mac didn't feel the same about him that he did about her. His slutty fantasies never did get that memo though.

However, none of that mattered to Dick at this precise second of time, Mac was here in his bed, and his tongue was responsible for her quaking and quivering underneath him, obviously having a good time now. The pressure in his pants continued to build. Dick slowly, gently rolled Mac back over so she was on her back again. He leaned down over her and kissed her deeply, his tongue exploring her mouth, one hand still bracing the bed so he wouldn't crush her and the other hand explored her nipple.

"Yes?" Dick whispered, momentarily stopping mid kiss. He wanted to make sure she was on the same page as him.

"Yes, oh yes," Mac consented breathlessly.

On quivery legs, he got up to make the trek over to his chest of drawers where he kept his stash of emergency Trojans-this definitely constituted a four alarm emergency to his way of thinking. He palmed two and guided his jelly legs back to Mac. Placing the condoms on the bedside table within easy access, he then got back on the bed and positioned her legs so he could have a clear path to her vagina. She had shed her black lace underwear and Dick, couldn't help noticing there wasn't a hair to be seen save for a tiny "landing strip." Who knew Macster was a fan of the Brazilian bikini wax? Hot! He stretched out on his stomach, his feet hanging over the edge of the bed frame. As his tongue licked the outer lips of Mac's vagina, he watched her arch her chest as she let out a moan and shifted forward so his tongue could have full entrance inside. She ran her fingers through his hair, and he could feel the shiver her contact induced from the top of his head down through his toes and back again. The taste of her filled his senses. She guided him gently, so his tongue caressed her clit in just the right area. That maneuver elicited a moan so deep and elongated it was almost a purr. His tongue continued it's exploration; this time picking up speed. Mac writhed under him, her hands still kneading through his hair. Dick simultaneously felt Mac quake as she came as well as heard her scream as it broke through. That answered the question he'd always had about her—was Mac a screamer?

"That was just the appetizer. Now for the main course," Dick said in a husky voice.

"Oh yeah? Well, to continue your dinner analogy, since I got dessert first, I'm fully satiated. I think I'll just go to sleep," Mac quipped back. She closed her eyes and did a couple fake snores, then popped one eye open and grinned. "Give me the condom. We'll put not-so-little Dick in a holster, and he can have a turn to play."

With Mac's assistance, they got the condom on over Dick's long, full-erect penis, and he pushed himself in her now slick vagina and groaned in pleasure. His lips found hers, and he plunged his tongue into her mouth. He wondered if she could taste herself, and if that was a turn on.

Dick's hands once again found Mac's breasts and kneaded softly, eliciting another one of her soft moans. He felt her arch her back again as he braced his hands and plunged deeper inside. He groaned in ecstasy; she was so tight. He prayed for stamina since he really didn't want to channel a twelve year old and come in ten seconds flat, but it was taking everything he had to dial it back.

Fortunately, he didn't have to hold back for long, soon Mac was gripping his shoulders, digging her nails into him. Then she let out another brief scream as she sank into him in relief. Dick then followed his own orgasm to completion and collapsed on top of her. He quickly rolled off her though, mindful of the fact that less than three hours earlier she'd been scrapping with Madison on the floor of the Casablancas ballroom of his hotel.

Dick reached up to turn off the bedside lamp then laid back on his side, positioning Mac so she was in front of him, draping one arm casually over her flat stomach. He caught a whiff of her orange scented shampoo as they spooned. He tried not to dwell on how cozy it felt with Mac lying beside him in his big old lonely bed. It wasn't long before they were both fast asleep.

Dick woke up first, the sun light streaming through the open door. The room was chilly from the ocean breeze dancing through the big, open space of his master suite. However, he was warm from the feather comforter draped over them and from Mac still cuddled up against him. He loved her new haircut. The sunlight accented the mahogany streaks artfully applied to her otherwise black hair, and the chin length cut gave her an air of maturity. Since she'd been dodging him since the launch party, last night was the first time he'd seen her new hair cut and was the reason he hadn't initially recognized her as she and Logan chatted at the bar. As soon as she'd turned around, though, Dick immediately recognized her and was momentarily struck dumb at how hot she looked. Damn, her body was still slamming, and the black knee length cocktail dress had hugged her curvaceous figure in exactly the right places. Dick felt himself growing hard again just thinking of Mac in that dress. He was just fantasizing about waking Mac up for round two when he felt her stirring.

"Is that a gun in your shorts or are you just happy to see me?" Mac murmured with a sleepy smile.

"Happy to see you. I wake up fully loaded, especially when there's a hot babe in my bed," Dick replied.

"Hot babe? Are we still in high school? Though I do appreciate the sentiment," she added.

"Which sentiment? The hot babe part or the fact I go fully loaded just for you?" Dick mused.

"Both I guess," Mac admitted. "What time is it?"

"It's almost a quarter 'til nine. Why? Places to do, things to see?" Dick asked.

"Something like that, yes. Brunch at ten with Veronica, Alicia, and I'm not sure who else. Hey, do you want to join us?" Mac said. She looked a little surprised that she issued the invitation to him. Veronica hadn't mentioned any other guys being there, but she found herself reluctant to end her time with Dick. The past twenty-four hours had been full of surprises. She wasn't sure which was more surprising: her showdown with Madison or her incredible, sex-filled night with Dick.

"Will Ronnie keep Mr. Sparky holstered?" Dick inquired, pretending to be scared at the prospect.

"I'll protect you," Mac promised. She ran a hand lightly over his chest, finding his light dusting of hair extremely sexy.

"Why the hell not? Where are we brunching?" he asked as he reluctantly sat up in the bed and stretched. He frowned down at little Dick. That part of him was still rearing to go. "Sorry, little dude."

Mac giggled, knowing instinctively why he was apologizing. Why did she suddenly find everything he did appealing? In high school, he had been so annoying. "We're meeting at the Poseidon Cafe. You know it?" Mac replied dryly. It was one of the restaurants in the Neptune Grand.

"Um yes, I'm vaguely aware of the place. I have to go there to get some work done anyway," Dick said.

"So we have some time to kill. I've got a few ideas."

"Nice try. I'll take a rain check, though. We really don't have a lot of time to kill. I need to go back to my room and get changed. I'm way too old for that walk of shame shit," Mac explained.

"A rain check? I'm holding you to that. If you just stayed here, you wouldn't need to worry about the walk of shame," Dick offered. He leaned down to kiss her, hoping to get her to change her mind. Inwardly, he celebrated the fact Mac wanted to go another round between the sheets with him.

"Thanks, that's sweet. But I'll just keep the room as my home base, at least as my $350 a night luggage rack," Mac said as she found the will power to break off the kiss and put some space between them.

"It's your money to waste," Dick shrugged.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about my money," Mac said condescendingly.

They both reluctantly dragged ass out of the warm, cozy bed and into the chilly morning air. Dick shut the balcony door and pressed the button that drew the blinds automatically down over the entire wall of windows. He ignored Mac's grumbling about why the hell didn't he do that last night. After the intimacy of the night before, Dick didn't bother looking away as Mac once again changed into her sexy black dress. He rather enjoyed the show.

"No, I don't look like a hooker in this ridiculous get up at 9:30 in the frakking morning," Mac snarked.

"Escort actually," Dick corrected. "You could command at least $500 an hour. Probably much more than that."

"Really? Hmmm. That could add up to some serious dough. Maybe if this ass thing fails, I'll consider that as a backup plan."

Dick grinned at her in amusement. He loved that she was so willing to joke even about something so crude.

Twenty minutes later, they were walking through the main entrance to the Neptune Grand. The desk staff greeted Dick by name, and he smiled to himself when he caught a glimpse of Mac's blush. It seemed to grow to an even deeper shade of crimson when they bumped into Weevil and his wife Alison in the lobby as they waited for the elevator. They just exchanged greetings before the Navarros continued on down the hall towards the Poseidon Cafe. Dick smirked though at Eli's raised brows, the only hair on his otherwise bald countenance.

Back in her room, Mac rummaged through her suitcase and found a comfy pair of jeans and a black geek couture tee shirt that read "Give credit where credit is due. -Unknown."

"That's kind of ironic, isn't it?" Dick asked as he read the words across her breasts.

"D'uh. That's the point," Mac not so patiently explained.

He didn't bother telling her that wasn't the irony he meant.

When they walked into the restaurant a few minutes later, they quickly found the rest of their party. Veronica and Alicia were holding court at a big table in the back corner. Also with them were Alison, and Weevil. Dick smiled big at the searching look Veronica gave Mac.

Mac took the seat next to Veronica, and Dick sat on her other side. "Remember, you promised to protect me," he reminded her.

"Hey, Rocky, what's that on your hand?" Veronica asked pointing to the ace bandage.

"Just a well-earned souvenir from punching out that rock-head Madison Sinclair," Mac explained with a touch of pride. She lifted up her hand to showcase her war wound.

"Veronica was just giving me the cliff notes version of that little disagreement," Alicia said. "I'm fairly certain the good parts were left out of the retelling."

"Only to protect the guilty," Mac reassured her friend's stepmother.

"Hey, guys. Oh good, Mac, I'm glad it's not a formal dress brunch after all. Here I am without my tux," Weevil said by way of greeting. Alison glared at her husband and leaned over to swat him on his arm. He opened his mouth to explain how they'd witnessed Mac's walk of shame in the lobby but seemed to think better of it after a pointed look from his wife.

"Hush you," Alison said to Weevil. "Hi Mac, hi Dick. Thanks for inviting us to join you guys."

"No problem. It's nice to have the chance to get to know you better. The woman who actually tamed our favorite ex-PCH biker dude," Mac said smiling. "So what's everyone thinking of getting? What's this place known for?"

Everyone perused the menu for a few minutes until the waitress came over to take their order.

"So, I saw you got Dick snatched last night," Veronica whispered to Mac. "You don't look like you're under duress. Is this a case of Stockholm syndrome perhaps?"

"I wondered when you were going to bring the topic up," Mac said with a grimace. Then in resignation, she continued, "I'm well aware there's been some bad blood in the past with you and Dick, but people change. There's an actual human being buried somewhere in there. Besides, we're just having a little fun. Isn't that what these reunions are for? And as for being Dick snatched, you have no idea how true that is." She winked at her friend as she said that last part.

"Okay, ewww. I do not need details, thank you! As for the actual human being part, how deep down is it buried? Do I need a GPS tracking device to find it?" Veronica wondered. "I've actually been hearing that rumor a lot lately. So there's some actual truth to it?" She smiled at Mac to indicate there was no malice in her words. Some things really had changed.

The waitress came back with the drink orders. She placed a couple of carafes of coffee on the table, distributed the coffee cups and placed big glasses of orange juice in front of Dick and Alison. After thanking her, conversation resumed.

Mac poured some coffee in her cup and took a big sip. She opened her mouth to say something-Dick hoped it was to defend his honor some more-when Alicia cut in.

"Veronica, remember how your dad and I told you about Dick's volunteer work at the teen center? I see Dick there at least once a month when I pick Darrel up there," she said, gently chastising her stepdaughter.

"Oh, I just assumed you meant another Dick Casablancas," Veronica joked.

"Anyway, Mac dear, I think it's wonderful when old classmates reconnect. You could do a lot worse." Alicia continued, giving Veronica a disapproving look.

"See, Ronnie, how's that for changing? My status has been elevated from the worst asshole ever, to there are worse guys out there." Dick puffed up.

"I'll alert the media," Veronica said dryly.

The banter was interrupted when the food arrived. Dick happily tucked into his sausage and cheese omelet and eyed Mac's tofu and potato "hash" with suspicion. Ronnie's bottomless appetite hadn't seemed to diminish with age. She had a full plate of eggs, hash browns, a double order of bacon and pancakes on the side.

"Are you going to have enough to eat there?" Dick couldn't resist ribbing Ronnie.

"This? This is just a snack. Alicia, Alison and I have a spa date after breakfast. You're still planning on joining us, too, right Mac-Attack?" Veronica rejoined.

"That was the plan," Mac said. "Besides, I'm a little stiff. Just a word of advice, falling backwards into a table isn't the best combination. I don't really recommend it."

Weevil chose that opportunity to tell everyone about a motorcycle accident he had the year before and Dick decided to recount the tale of his own recent bike accident. It had happened on the PCH a couple months before during rush hour, so he hadn't been hurt really bad, but it did cause him to rethink a few areas of his life. Naturally, the first thing he did was sell the bike since it had been a drunken impulse purchase anyway.

When breakfast was done and the dishes cleared, the waitress brought the check. Dick waved it away.

"Just put it on my tab," he said. "I'm good for it."

After everyone thanked him for breakfast and Veronica joked about how he was good for something after all, the girls went off toward the elevator to the second floor spa. He shook hands with Weevil, who had to go to the center for a couple of hours. He headed off to his own office on the other side of the lobby. He didn't always work on Saturdays, but he thought doing some work would keep him from obsessing too much about Mac. Dick's cheek was still tingling from where Mac had kissed him before heading to her appointment.

However, Dick found his mind wandering as he sat at his big desk trying to read through various proposals and end of the quarter reports on some of his bigger properties. The dry text and accompanying pie graphs blurred together. They were replaced with images of Mac in her black dress, Mac in his tee shirt moaning from his massage, Mac being overtaken by an orgasm. He had woken up this morning with a big smile on his face, Mac in his arms and in his bed. He decided that he'd like to wake up that way tomorrow as well.

The decision made, Dick picked up the phone and dialed the front desk.

"Hi Janet...Yes, that's right...Oh, the swim party. Yes, that's this afteroon...Okay great. Wait, there's one more thing. Could you look up a reservation in the system for me?...Thanks. Yes, the name is Cindy Mackenzie...Okay. Cancel it please and credit back last night's stay...That's right...Reverse charge...I'm authorizing it...Great. Thank you."

Once that was done, Dick had an easier time concentrating on the work at hand. After combing through four proposals, a long, boring report on all his holdings, he found a prospectus on Cho's Pizza hiding under a stack of papers in his in box. Dick was a quarter of the way through it when his office door slammed open.

"What the hell, Dick? I tried to get in my room only to find out my key card doesn't work any more." Mac was framed in the doorway, her hair mussed, and her eyes just mere slits. "So I go down to the front desk only to discover my room had been canceled."

"Would you believe computer error?" he tried. She was radiating anger and all he thought about was ripping off her clothes and taking her on his massive desk. One fell swoop and all the paperwork would go flying.

"Beep. Wrong answer, bud. Try again." She tried to burn holes in him with those beautiful blue eyes. Didn't she know they were too amazing to intimidate properly?

"I thought I'd save you some money," Dick said.

"Millionaire, remember?" Mac reminded him.

"Billionaire. So I don't need the extra revenue." He stuck his tongue out at her. Childish, but fun. "I want you to stay with me, but you didn't seem to appreciate my suggestion, so I thought I'd help things a long a little bit."

"Damn meddling rich boys," Mac muttered, but her anger seemed to have lost a little sizzle.

"Damn controlling computer geniuses," Dick countered. He motioned for Mac to come closer. She walked into his office and perched on his desk. However, she crossed her arms over her chest, expressing her displeasure. "So what did you think of Belladonna's spa?"

"Eh, it's alright if you like to be pampered," Mac teased. "It was awesome. I had a hot rocks massage and a facial. Something funny happened, though, when I tried to charge it to my room, the one that had already been canceled unbeknownst to me. The charges had already been taken care of."

"You like molten rocks on your back?" Dick asked, ignoring the dig about the canceled room.

"Blissful. Pure bliss, and it's even better when you have a treasure map of bruises on your back," Mac explained.

"I hear there are other sure fire methods of finding your bliss here at the Grand," Dick whispered in her ear, suggestively.

"Oh yeah?" Mac purred back. Instead of replying, Dick gently pushed her back so she was lying flat on his desk, her feet dangling off. His prospectus had been forgotten the second Mac barged in his office anyway. He leaned over her and kissed her hungrily, plunging the depths of her mouth with his tongue. Mac responded with equal fervor, bringing her legs up and wrapping them around Dick. He made quick work of removing her jeans, and she returned the favor by removing his chinos. He snaked one hand up her tee shirt and paid some attention to her nipples, which hardened under his skilled touch.

"Wait," Mac suddenly shouted out. "Do you have a condom?" She shoved him off of her.

"In my wallet. I always carry one with me. I believe in being prepared, like the Boyscout I never was," Dick said.

"So you do this often?" Mac asked, faux-casually.

"Never," Dick said. Mac's expression portrayed her disbelief. Once not-so-little Dick was ensconced in the condom again, they got back to the business at hand. A short time later, they were both reveling in that boneless after-sex feeling.

After stopping by the bell hop station to retrieve Mac's bags, they headed back to Dick's house to shower and get dressed for the Neptune High Reunion Weekend Pool Party. Like most of the festivities, this one, too, was going to be held at the Neptune Grand Hotel.

Dick had tried every argument he could to convince Mac to wear the black and white striped bikini he found hiding in the bottom of her suitcase he'd shamelessly pawed through, but every point he made was promptly countered. He still didn't think she played fair, but ultimately it didn't matter, she still had jurisdiction over her wardrobe choices. He did like how the red one piece she ended up putting on picked up the mahogany highlights that glinted in her hair though. It was high cut and made her legs seem longer, for some reason. However, Dick wasn't one to ponder the mystery of female fashion for long; he just liked how well Mac filled it out. He put on his yellow and black swim trunks and another one of his prized sex-slogan tees and waited for Mac to grab her cover up and sunscreen, SPF 50 or what not. She packed it all up in an oversized carry-all, and they headed out to Dick's truck.

As they walked into the pool pavilion area fifteen minutes later, Dick looked around hoping to see Logan, Ronnie, Weevil, Jason, Justin, whatever that asshole Ronnie was dating was called, and whomever else in their group. Soon enough he spotted the bald head of Weevil standing off to the side with his wife talking to Wallace.

Dick and Mac made their way over to the wrought iron table their crew had commandeered. Mac plopped down beside Alison and Dick took the empty seat on her other side. After greetings were exchanged, Dick turned toward Wallace since Mac had started chatting with Alison about their spa experiences.

"Hey Fennel, where's your sis? Cross examining my staff? Voir dire-ing the alumni committee? Trolling for new clients?" Dick inquired.

"That was yesterday. I think she's got Logan on the stand today. I actually feel sorry for the dude," Wallace retorted.

Dick scoffed. "Some things never change. What did he do to draw her wrath this time?"

"I don't keep up Vee's conquests, exes especially. She's my sister and I love her, but I've known her too long to fall into that trap anymore," he admitted. "Hey, we need to get some drinks over here. Don't you have wait staff out here, or are we expected to get our own damn alcohol?" A look of amusement on his face made it clear he was teasing.

"I've got an in with the staff around here," Dick said. He looked around until he saw one of the bikini clad wait staff two tables down. He caught her eye and gave a hand signal. She nodded. Less than a minute later, she took everyone's drink orders. Dick noticed Weevil's wife ordered a lemonade. He'd have thought she'd need mass quantities of alcohol to put with up that guy.

Dick was happy when the waitress came back with a couple pitches of margaritas. He poured himself and Mackie each a glass.

"Thanks," she said, taking a big drink of the one he just handed her. "Ahh. Good stuff."

"The best in Balboa County," Dick said with a hint of pride. "So how's your lemonade?" he added, addressing Alison.

"Good. It's definitely not the powder crap I drink at home," she said with a happy sigh.

After they'd killed the first pitcher and made serious inroads on the second one, Mac suddenly stood up and announced she was ready to swim. They joked about how the old wives warned about not swimming right after a big meal, but they never said to wait it out after margaritas. Dick wasn't surprised when Mac launched into a diatribe about how most of those old wives tales had been disproved, especially the one about waiting to swim after a big meal. Why did he find even her boring-as-hell-intellectual rants such a turn on?

She had just removed her black sheer cover up when her bag started ringing. Mac dug through it and removed her iPhone.

"This is Mac," she said.

Dick watched several fleeting expressions cross her face. Surprise. Annoyance. Pissiness. Anger. Regret, maybe. He didn't bother trying to hide the fact he was eavesdropping. The person on the other line was female, sounded older, and was definitely furious with Mac, but otherwise he couldn't make out anything else. He watched a tear squeeze out of Mac's eye. She quickly used her bandaged hand to wipe it away, probably hoping no one witnessed it.

"That was never my intent," Mac said into the phone. Her teeth were gritted.

Dick watched Mac's feet tapping. She seemed to be bidding her time. The pissy bitch on the other end of the phone wasn't letting Mac tell her side of things.

"I know. I get that," she replied a few minutes later. Again, Mac said it with gritted teeth.

"No, you let me say something now. This happened to me, too. I was every bit a victim of circumstance here. Though it kills me to use that word, victim. It was a hell of a way for her to find out, I know that, but it's not my fault you hid the truth. I'm sorry I put a crack in your perfect family life, but I don't think anyone should keep something this huge a secret forever. And I definitely intend to say the same thing to my parents," Mac said. She didn't shout but there was a deadly undercurrent in her voice. "Bye. I'm getting off the phone now. I will deal with things tomorrow. Right now, I'm at a party." She hung up.

Dick figured out by the time Mac got to her speech at the end of the phone call that she was talking to Madison's mom. Mac muttered something to everyone and quickly fled to an empty cabana on the deck behind them.

Ignoring the worried looks of their group, Dick turned to follow Mac.

"Screw the Sinclairs," he said entering the cabana. Mac was seated in a wicker rocking chair, furiously wiping the tears that didn't seem to show signs of stopping any time soon.

"I don't think that's allowed now," Mac said with a harsh laugh. "They're not wrong to be so pissed at me."

"Yes, they are," Dick said. He crossed over to her and wiped another tear away. "Sorry to crash your pity party, but I wanted to let you know I think the Sinclairs got the loser end of this deal. Not sure my opinion counts for much, but I did want that on record." He pulled her up into a standing position and hugged her.

"Thanks. I think maybe your opinion counts a little more these days that it did in our youth," Mac replied hugging him back. "Want to do me a favor?"

"For you, anything." Dick said seriously.

"The Sinclairs are demanding a family meeting with me, my parents, and Madison tomorrow at noon. I'm definitely not up to facing the firing squad with out some more reinforcements," Mac said quietly, not able to look Dick in his eyes. "Never mind. It's a terrible idea. I'll be okay. I'm sure Veronica would go with me."

"Mac," Dick said. "Mac," he repeated, louder this time. "Mac, look at me." He placed his hand under her chin and guided it up so she was looking him in the face. "I'll go. I want to be with you when you deal with this."

"Are you sure? I think a root canal would be more fun," Mac said mustering a small smile.

"Probably," Dick admitted. "However, I can think of ways you can thank me later."

"Ah, an ulterior motive," Mac said. "I should have guessed."

"Always," Dick whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.

**TBC...**

_So the next chapter will be Veronica's P.O.V. or Mac's POV. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long, but I am in the middle of four stories! I hope you take some time to review this chapter! We plan on doing 6 chapters and maybe an epilogue._


	5. Chapter 5

**This is BewitchingRedhead36's final Mac chapter. We decided to cut down on the confusion by posting both final chapters today all at once. So read this one and then the next is my final chapter. This chapter is rated "M" for a short scene in the middle. It's tamer than her last one though! :) Enjoy!**

**This chapter begins from Mac's P.O.V. a bit before she gets the call from Mrs. Sinclair.**

Chapter 5—Mac's POV

_*****Saturday afternoon, Neptune Grand Pool Pavilion*****_

Mac was chatting with Allison Navarro, Weevil's wife and Logan's cousin about the spa appointment they'd had earlier that day. She laughed at Allison's wry observations about the differences between Neptune, California and Toledo, Ohio. Mainly though, she was trying not to make it obvious that her eyes were drawn to Dick, who was sitting on her other side swapping stories with Wallace. She just couldn't stop checking him out—it was ridiculous, she felt like a seventh grader with a crush. Worse though, she couldn't stop falling into bed with him either. Or you know, letting him mount her on the ginormous desk in his office. _Letting him mount her_, as if she hadn't been a more-than-willing participant in the whole event. Again, what the hell did they put in the Neptune water supply? That's the only explanation she could come up with for that new pattern of behavior.

Sadly, she was pretty sure she'd had more sex in the past twenty-four hours she'd spent with Dick than she'd had in the previous three years. Web domination took a lot time, dedication and bloodletting, leaving her libido to suffer the consequences. But at least she was no longer frozen from the waist down. There was a sad chapter in her life when she thought that she would never be able to feel anything _down_ _below_ again. Who knew the one guy who would end up making her feel more alive than anyone else ever had was Cassidy's older brother, the king asshole of the class of 2006? Talk about irony! Of course that five letter word described pretty much her entire weekend.

"Yeah, Toledo is exactly like Neptune," Allison was saying in a sarcastic tone, "except, you know, they don't have palm trees, the ocean, or Cho's Pizza. Instead they have buckeye trees, Lake Erie, and Tony Packo's Cafe."

"Tony Packo's?" Mac asked.

"A Toledo institution. They have the best chili dogs on the planet. It's seriously worth a trip just to try them." Allison had a wistful expression on her face, no doubt dreaming of biting into one of those hot dogs. It was obvious she was feeling homesick, despite having lived in Neptune for several years.

"Well, I'm a vegan," Mac explained, "so unless they have a veggie dog version, I'll just have to take your word for it."

"A vegan? I don't think they have those in Toledo," Allison joked. They both laughed. "I have been in a state of bliss all day from my massage. How about you?" she continued.

Bliss. Mac flushed remembering the last time she'd heard that word and how the context had certainly lived up to its hype. Dick had promised to show her other sure fire methods of finding bliss at the Grand. His plan involved sexing her up in his executive office. "Very blissful. If I was any more blissed out, I wouldn't be able to walk."

Allison just gaped at her for a second and then said, "Bet it helped with the stiffness after your battle last night."

"It really did. I loved the rocks, the way the heat just seeped in, easing the bruises," Mac said.

"What treatment did you get?" Wallace asked.

"I had a facial, a mudbath with your mom, followed by the Stork massage," Allison said.

"Stork? Like the big freaky ass birds that legend says drops babies off on doorsteps?" Dick asked.

"Yes, that would be the freaky ass bird the massage is named after. I'm twelve weeks pregnant," she smiled, subconsciously rubbed her belly. "I told your mom since we had the massage together, and she said she'd let me share my news."

"Congrats! Wow, soon there will be a baby who shares DNA with both Weevil and Logan. That's going to be some powerful genes right there." Mac said as she leaned over to give Allison a quick hug.

"I know, right. I'm thinking also since Eli is bald, maybe this baby won't have any hair, and I can skip the whole heart burn thing, too," Allison said hopefully.

"You know that's just an old wives tale, right?" Mac asked. "Hair does not cause heart burn." She sneaked a quick look at Dick while she was educating Allison, he smirked back at her. Not able to resist, Mac stuck her tongue out at him then turned back to the conversation about pregnancy folklore. "Studies have proven there's no connection."

"Oh," she said, looking a little crestfallen.

Mac felt bad. She knew she had the habit of spewing facts and figures that no one actually cared about anyway. "But that doesn't mean you'll get heartburn even if the kid has a full head of brown hair and looks like a mini-version of his—or her—cousin Logan." She rushed on to reassure Allison.

Allison just laughed. "That would be awesome. Could you imagine Eli's reaction if the baby came out looking just like Logan? He'd faint!"

"That would be my worst nightmare," Weevil grumbled. "I'd almost rather the kid come out looking like the mailman." He held his hands up in mock surrender when his wife swatted him for the last remark.

As she chatted with Allison and Weevil, Mac heard Wallace complain to Dick about Logan and Veronica getting into some kind of verbal altercation. Things never could be simple with those two. She mentally braced herself for the upcoming onslaught of fallout in the coming weeks. That was just one perk of being best friends with both Logan and Veronica. She mentally sighed. Fortunately, that reverie was interrupted by the scantily clad waitress coming over to take their drink orders. Dick ordered two pitchers of margaritas, and a lemonade for the mom-to-be.

After the waitress dropped off the drinks, Dick poured Mac a margarita and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said accepting the glass awkwardly. She wasn't nearly as coordinated with her left hand. She took a big drink. "Awww, good stuff." She playfully gave an exaggerated sigh of contentment. It was delicious.

"The best in Balboa County," Dick said with a hint of pride. "So how's your lemonade?" he added, addressing Allison. It didn't escape Mac's notice that Dick seemed to be relishing the role of host; his pride of ownership in the Neptune Grand hotel was obvious. She liked that side of him; he was someone who worked hard and appreciated the results of his effort. She had worked damn hard to achieve everything she had, and had even less tolerance these days for spoiled brats than she'd had in high school, and that was saying a lot.

"Good. It's definitely not the powder crap I drink at home," Allison answered, sighing.

As everyone—except Allison—worked their way through the first margarita pitcher, the conversation turned inevitably to Mac's epic smackdown with Madison the night before.

"You know, Mac-Attack, I have photographic evidence of your fight right here on my iPhone," Wallace teased. "I wonder how much TMZ will pay for those?"

"Probably 50 G's, maybe more," Weevil suggested. "I suggest a 60/40 cut."

"Millionaire founder of EM Squared scrapping with a down-on-her-luck heiress at a high school reunion? Only $50,000? I'd say hold out for at least twice that" Dick encouraged.

"Only if I get 60%," Wallace replied back to Weevil.

"A word of caution guys, I know how to make things disappear," Mac said in her best mafia-movie voice over.

"What are you going to do, buy my phone a pair of cement loafers?" Wallace snarked.

"It'll swim with the fishies," Mac joked back, still using her mafioso voice.

Dick refilled her glass, then poured the last little bit of the first pitcher into his own glass.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Mac asked, taking a healthy sip of her beverage.

"I don't think that's a prerequisite anymore," Dick said knowingly, then laughed at the wilting look she flashed him.

The turquoise water of the very well maintained Neptune Grand pool looked inviting on such a hot June day. As soon as Mac drained the rest of her drink, she announced it was time to swim.

"I don't know Mac," Wallace replied, "I'm not sure it's the best of plans to take a swim after sucking down a whole pitcher of margaritas."

"Yeah, those old wives would be rolling around in their graves, shrieking about that one hour waiting period," Weevil added.

"I thought it just applied to food, not margaritas," Allison interjected. "It increases your risk of getting stomach cramps, which can lead to drowning."

"Actually guys," Mac cut in, "that's all been disproved. Moms just made it up to scare kids. Seriously, look up those old wives tales, science has proved at least 95% of them wrong. Probably more than that, really. However, even science would indicate being drunk and going swimming aren't the best combination. Fortunately, I have a high margarita tolerance, and Dick has employed a staple of life guards with perfect vision." She took a quick look at Dick as she launched into her little spiel; he was smiling at her. She gave him a half-smile in return then quickly looked away. Damn, she had to stop doing that, going on and on as though she were lecturing a class full of bored college kids. She wasn't exactly a party animal these days.

Mentally shaking her head, Mac stood up to remove her black sheer cover up when she heard her cell phone ring. It was buried at the bottom of her oversized carry-all. Finally uncovering it, she brought it to her ear.

"This is Mac," she said. Her stomach clenched when the lady on the other end identified herself. Alice Sinclair, her bio mom. Totally lacking a poker face, she was sure the shock she felt was displayed clearly on her face. Once again she risked a quick glance at Dick. He was looking directly at her, his head cocked in concern.

Alice launched into a diatribe about how upset and shaken "poor Madison" was. Poor Madison, that was a joke, but Alice didn't seem to get the punch line. The annoyance Mac felt at first soon morphed into full on anger as she continued to get berated for the cruel and disrespectful way she revealed the long guarded family secret. Maybe the Mackenzie's thought that was decent behavior, but Sinclair's most certainly showed more decorum in public venues.

Every time Mac tried to explain herself Alice would just plow through, not letting her say anything. Involuntarily a tear fell, Mac reached up with her bandaged hand and wiped it away, hoping no one (Dick) would notice.

As soon as Alice paused to take a breath, Mac took the opportunity to say something. "That was never my intent," she replied, gritting her teeth and tapping a foot impatiently. She was just biding her time, waiting for another chance to explain her side of things. Mac knew she wasn't blameless in the whole thing, but how in the world could the woman that raised Madison, soul-sucking bitch that she was, really think she was a totally innocent little angel?

"I know. I get that," Mac replied again through gritted teeth.

Finally, she'd had enough of being on the receiving end of Alice's wrath.

"No, you let me say something now. This happened to me, too. I was every bit of a victim of circumstance here. Though it kills me to use that word, victim. It was a hell of a way for her to find out, I know that, but it's not my fault you hid the truth. I'm sorry I put a crack in your perfect family life, but I don't think anyone should keep something this huge. And I definitely intend to say the same thing to my parents," Mac said. She didn't shout but there was a deadly undercurrent in her voice. "Bye. I'm getting off the phone now. I will deal with things tomorrow. Right now, I'm at a party." She hung up and carelessly tossed her phone back into the bag.

Embarrassed by the scene she'd just caused, Mac muttered to everyone that she'd be right back and quickly fled to an empty cabana on the other side of the massive deck. She could feel the blush creeping up and overtaking her face.

Mac sat down in a wicker rocking chair, and started furiously wiping the tears that didn't seem to show signs of stopping any time soon. How the hell could she let someone she barely knew affect her this much? That was a rhetorical question she posed to herself though because honestly Mrs. Sinclair was not some country club bred stranger. She was the woman who gave birth to her.

Her reverie was broken though by Dick Casablancas. "Screw the Sinclairs!" he announced entering the cabana.

"I don't think that's allowed now," Mac said with a harsh laugh. "They're not wrong to be so pissed at me," she added softly, almost as if she were talking to herself.

"Yes, they are," Dick said. He crossed over to her and wiped another tear away. "Sorry to crash your pity party, but I wanted to let you know I think the Sinclairs got the loser end of this deal. Not sure my opinion counts for much, but I did want that on record."

She let him pull her up into a standing position. Then he hugged her, and she returned the gesture with interest.

"Thanks. I think maybe your opinion counts a little more these days than it did in our youth." Mac admitted. "Want to do me a favor?" That last bit was out of her mouth before her brain caught up.

"For you, anything." Dick said seriously.

"The Sinclairs are demanding a family meeting with me, my parents and Madison tomorrow at noon. I'm definitely not up to facing the firing squad without some more reinforcements." Mac said it quietly, not able to look Dick in his eyes. "Never mind. It's a terrible idea. I'll be okay. I'm sure Veronica would go with me." What the hell was she thinking inviting Dick? Who wouldn't run for the hills after a little taste of what was sure to end up as a very special episode of the _Brady Bunch—_dysfunctional edition.

"Mac," Dick said. "Mac," he repeated, louder this time. "Mac, look at me." He placed his hand under her chin and guided it up, so she was looking him in the face. "I'll go. I want to be with you when you deal with this."

"Are you sure? I think a root canal would be more fun," Mac said, mustering a small smile.

"Probably," Dick admitted. "However, I can think of ways you can thank me later."

"Ah, an ulterior motive," Mac said, smiling. "I should have guessed."

"I always have one of those when it comes to you," Dick whispered.

Mac leaned closer and they kissed. Dick might have initiated it, but she was an active participant.

Reluctantly, Mac broke away first.

"Ready to go back there, Sugar Ray Leonard?" Dick asked.

"Not yet. I need another minute to regroup."

"Gotcha. See you back there," he said, but hesitated a second before turning around to leave the cabana.

"Wait. You can, um, regroup with me, if you want," Mac said, haltingly, tentatively. She sat back down in the rocking chair. Dick returned to where she was and sat on the wicker settee across from her. They just sat there for a couple minutes not saying anything.

"So," Dick said breaking the silence that had settled in. "Mrs. Sinclair was pretty pissed you punched her precious little angel, huh?"

"That's one way to put it I guess," Mac said dryly. "I'd say she threw a monumental shit fit the likes of which I've never heard before. She didn't seem the type when I met her."

"You've met Mrs. Sinclair? I mean, after, well you know, she gave birth to you, and all?" Dick asked confused.

There was another brief pause as Mac formulated what she wanted to say. "I remember the time I went camping our junior year of high school. It was right after I crashed Madison's party. Right after Veronica discovered the truth. Anyway, the next day I went by her house to pick up the purse I accidentally-on-purpose left there." A fleeting look of sadness crossed her face then it was gone just as quickly. She gave Dick an ironic smile and continued, "Mrs. Sinclair was there. She knew who I was right away. It was kind of like looking in a mirror. Well, twenty years in the future, but still, hard to deny that I'm a Sinclair, by genetics at least. So, the next day we were packing up the camper for a weekend trip, and I saw Mrs. Sinclair parked down the street. She was just watching me. We didn't speak, not really. Not with words. But she knew I knew she knew. And maybe it was also a way for her to let me know she knew I knew. Does that make sense? I was there, and I'm not sure if what I just said makes sense to me."

"Okay, well, you kind of lost me with the second _she knew_, but I think I know what you're saying. Essentially, you were both aware of who the other one is. No words needed," Dick said.

"Exactly! I felt a connection, I felt like I belonged somewhere for the first time in my entire life." Mac said. "Again, there were no words exchanged. But I felt something, I felt like she felt, I don't know what the right word is, maybe regret? I thought she was regretful maybe that she wasn't the one raising me. I kind of thought she was the one person of all the families that wanted to switch us back again. And today she is the one raging at me. It's enough to give a person whiplash, that 180 degree change in attitude."

"She went all mama bear on your ass," Dick explained. "You hurt her cub. Plus you cracked their perfect family _façade_." He smirked at her expression. "And yes, I know what the word _façade means."_

"Was it on your word of the day calender?" Mac joked.

"How did you guess?" Dick replied with a wink.

"I'll give you one more chance to get out of this whole family meet thing," Mac said growing serious again. "Hurry though, it's a limited time offer."

"No. I decline your out clause. It's like you said, you need someone else on Team Mackenzie. Plus, I know Madison and her family; I can help you strategize a battle plan tailored to their weaknesses. Or to put in terms you'll understand, I can help you find some good cheat codes."

"So this is like a war game?"

"Something like that, yeah. Or video game strategy."

"And silly me, here I was thinking this is my life." Mac said dryly.

"You know, I used to think you were the only one in Neptune without a deep dark secret. I thought you survived this place without scars." Dick admitted.

"Sorry to ruin your image of me."

"It didn't ruin anything there, Oscar!" he reassured her. "I've seen sides to you I've never suspected. It's pretty hot. Like, for example, you have a mean right hook."

"And I have the broken hand to prove it," Mac retorted. "But you're right, there's a lesson there for you, don't piss me off or you might be the one with scars."

"Are you regrouped enough now?"

"I am. Thanks for the pep talk there, pal."

Dick just smiled in response. They got up and made their way back to their group, Dick holding her non-injured hand. Mac was dreading the inquisition she knew would be forthcoming. However, it wasn't like anything was a secret anymore. That was just a price you paid when you were involved in a knock down, drag out fight with your arch enemy in the middle of a crowded ballroom at your ten year high school reunion. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before breaking contact.

When she once more sat down at the table in the pavilion area, Mac was greeted with looks of concern. Even Weevil looked worried.

Allison reached over and gave her a brief hug. "Everything okay?" she whispered in Mac's ear.

"It's fine," Mac reassured her, then addressed the entire group. "Madison's mom invited me to brunch at their house. A welcome to the family gathering, I suspect. Maybe they want to throw me a parade?" She didn't really feel like rehashing the fight, so she just made a joke of it. The whole ugly incident hadn't exactly been discrete but no one contradicted her either.

After throwing her one more pitying look, Wallace changed the subject. "So, Jocelyn and I thought taking our basketball team to the Memorial Day Parade would be a fun way to spend the day with four active boys. So, really, things were good until the clown car came rolling by. Little Wally started freaking out and evidently it was contagious because then the other three kids started screaming and crying in camaraderie. Then Jocelyn got in on the action."

"Clowns!" Dick exclaimed. "I don't blame the little dude. Guys in big red floppy shoes, rubber noses and five layers of makeup always scares me, too. Freaky ass dudes. I stay away from the circus for just that reason."

Everyone laughed at Dick's exaggerated shudder as he mentioned rubber noses. The mood was effectively lightened. There was still most of the second margarita pitcher left, so everyone lingered at the table finishing the drinks and swapping clown stories and circus traumas. Mac's urge to swim was gone, but the clown conversation did a good job of distracting her from thoughts of tomorrow's meeting. Then an innocent comment from Wallace about his mom's latest trip to Chicago brought reality once again crashing down on Mac. She needed to prepare her parents for the Sinclair meeting. They didn't deserve to be blindsided by everything. Mac caught Dick's eye and nodded towards the door. Dick acknowledged her gesture. Allison quirked her eyebrow at Mac though when she noticed their couple-esque shorthand.

Mac and Dick said their goodbyes and made their way out of the crowded pavilion area, dodging former classmates. Mac kept her eyes out for Veronica and was a little disappointed not to bump into her.

"You hanging in there, Scrappy Doo?" Dick whispered in her ear as they walked back into the lobby of the hotel.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I just kept thinking I have to talk to my parents before tomorrow's little tête-à-tête at the Sinclairs."

"Okay. I think that's probably the right thing to do. You want me to drop you off at your parents house?" Dick asked.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe I'd just give them a call. Is that too chickenshit you think?"

"I don't really know the etiquette for that situation," Dick said. "But no, I don't think it's chicken shit. Now, maybe a text would be though."

"Speaking of etiquette, does Martha Stewart have a set of rules for telling your parents that you know the truth about your birth?" Mac inquired.

"I think she's got rules for everything," Dick retorted..

They decided to stop off at Poseidon's Cafe to pick up dinner to take back to Dick's house.

Once they arrived back at the beach house, Mac found a quiet corner in his study and reluctantly dug out her cell phone to call her mom. She flopped down in the rolling desk chair and dialed. Her mom answered on the third ring, Mac took a deep breath and suggested that her dad get on the phone too. Once her dad greeted her, Mac almost lost her nerve, but she knew it was time to admit that she'd known the whole truth for a long time.

"I know." Mac blurted out. Both her parents seemed confused at first. "I know I'm not your biological daughter," she clarified. She finally got the whole cliché about silence being deafening. The quiet on the other end of the phone seemed to have a life of its own. "Please say something."

"How," Natalie inquired as Sam said "okay."

Succinctly Mac explained how Veronica had discovered the lawsuit and settlement from one of the databases they used at Mars Investigations. She left out the part about her being the one who asked Veronica to do the digging in the first place. Then she launched into the story about fighting with Madison the previous night. Again, Mac left out a few details her parents didn't need to know anyway. She mentioned the meeting at the Sinclairs. Both of her parents finally said they'd be there.

"Do you want me to drop by tonight? We can talk some more about it." Mac weakly offered.

"No, hon. It's your reunion weekend. You probably have plans. We'll talk about this some more tomorrow. I never really pictured this day. I guess I knew it would come eventually, but I expected we'd be the ones who told you, not Veronica. I...Yeah, okay. Tomorrow. See you. I..Uh, I love you hon. Just know that." Natalie's voice broke and Mac heard the click of her mom hanging up.

"Cindy, we'll see you tomorrow. I love you, kid," Sam said. His voice sounded a little more gruff than usual to Mac. He hung up, too.

Mac turned off her phone and dropped it back into her bag. She slumped back down into Dick's desk chair. She was a little surprised the tears that had been prickling her eyes the whole conversation didn't come pouring out. A couple minutes later she felt more composed. The threat of tears had subsided.

Mac went upstairs to Dick's balcony off the master suite. He had a small bistro table set up by the railing overlooking the beach below. The Mushroom Risotto and Chicken Marsala were dished out and waiting to be devoured.

As they drank Pinot Noir and ate their dinner, talk turned to their respective companies and other neutral topics. Dick seemed to sense she wasn't ready to talk about her conversation with her parents. Instead, he told her about some highlights of the prospectus on Cho's Pizza he'd read earlier that day. He shared some of his franchise plans and she made a couple helpful suggestions to further enrich his portfolio. After exhausting that subject, a comfortable silence set in.

Mac realized that the dread of tomorrow's confrontation, which had set up residence in the pit of her stomach, had all but disappeared. She took a big sip of her wine, listening to the crescendo of the waves crashing to the shore and retreating once again. Idly, she wished she could just stay suspended in this moment of time forever.

Evidently tiring of the quiet, Dick interrupted her musings by asking, "A penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh no, inflation has hit the thought commodities," Mac quipped. "My thoughts will cost you 10 thousand dollars in unmarked, untraceable bills."

"You drive a hard bargain there, Scrappy Doo."

"You have no idea, Casablancas, no idea," Mac said. "Actually, I was thinking how perfect this is. The ocean makes the perfect background music, for a good dinner, good wine, and you, well, you're not horrible company either. You know, things like that." She had to laugh at Dick's disbelieving expression when she said he wasn't horrible company.

"Not horrible company? Maybe I should get that put on a bumper sticker," Dick suggested.

"Perhaps a tee-shirt," Mac responded.

"I know. I'll get it printed on my business cards," Dick joked, snapping his fingers. "Well, backhanded compliment aside, I'm glad you're not dwelling on tomorrow's showdown," he added in a serious tone.

"I wasn't until you brought it up again," Mac grumbled.

"Sorry," Dick said with a sheepish mile that quickly morphed into a sly grin. "Guess I'll have to figure out ways to distract you once again."

"Shooting always distracts me," she said.

"Shooting? Oh yes, I remember your Halo addiction."

"Glad you didn't think I was talking about hunting."

"You're a vegan computer nerd; of course, you didn't mean hunting innocent animals. Though I totally could see you turn covert assassin, rocking your red pleather miniskirt, a .22 strapped to your thigh," Dick leered as he recounted a fantasy that he'd obviously had envisioned before. "However, I was thinking something a little more clothing optional than dusting your ass playing video games."

"Okay, well, I'm ignoring your overstatement of your gaming skills. How about we practice the ancient art of compromise?"

"Alright," Dick enthused. "I'm intrigued."

"I thought I'd introduce you to what us vegan geeks call foreplay. How about I dust your ass in a little game I call Strip Halo?"

"Are all vegan geeks as sexy as you?" Dick inquired.

"You had no idea what you were missing, did you?" Mac replied in a teasing tone.

"No, I didn't, and it was totally my loss," Dick said in a serious tone, his grin gone. He gathered up their dirty dishes and placed them in the center of the table.

"Bygones," Mac said dismissively. She didn't feel like rehashing her storied history with Dick. She was too booked up dwelling in other corners of her past; she didn't need one more thing to hone in on

"Tell you what, I'll run the plates down to the kitchen and grab my Xbox player while you go to the bedroom and make yourself comfortable," Dick suggested.

Mac rose out of the chair and Dick placed a guiding hand on the small of her back. Once inside his master suite, she flopped down on the ginormous bed. Her mind replayed the aerobic activities they partook in the previous night. She flashed back on Dick's hand rubbing slow circles over her battered back; her commonsense warring with the attraction that was exploding like a grenade through her, leaving only shrapnel behind. Her common sense lost that battle, and she was pretty sure the whole war, too.

But had she actually lost anything? It seemed more like a gain to Mac's mind. She was having fun with Dick Casablancas, of all people. He was still the boy she knew in high school with the sexual innuendos and dirty jokes, yet she could see he'd grown up in many ways as well. Her gaze drifted to the manila folder that was still on his bedside table. She'd taken a peak at it the previous night and saw a year-to-date financial report on RAINN. She didn't know much about the organization, but she did know it was a non-profit dedicated to helping victims of rape and abuse. She had just seen Dick's name listed as a member of the governing board when he'd come back into the room, and she'd quickly closed the folder. He had made one tiny little joke about her Veronica-inspired snooping but didn't mention anything about the contents of the folder, so she just followed his lead and didn't ask him about it.

Alicia's comment at breakfast this morning echoed through her mind. Yes, she could definitely do worse than Dick. Mac still wasn't convinced she was looking for a serious relationship, but he certainly was a fine choice for a friend with lots of benefits. It said a lot about Dick's character that he and Logan had remained close all these years. Logan was an excellent judge of character.

Just then Dick walked into the room holding his gaming console and the case containing Halo 3. There were several newer releases of the game currently on the market but somehow he'd remembered that she and Logan had loved Halo 3 in college. Occasionally, if Dick had been unable to find a good party, he'd come back to the penthouse suite at the Neptune Grand that he'd shared with Logan and join them for a couple rounds of Halo 3. Dick would challenge the winner, which more times than not was Mac. She didn't count him among her friends then, but she did admit he made a good Halo opponent, though usually defeated him in the end.

"I have a reputation to honor, Macster, so prepare to meet your maker," Dick smirked. He set to work unfurling the wires and cables connected to the game console.

"If I recall, the only reputation you have to defend is that of Halo loser. So, why don't you save yourself some pride and just get naked now," Mac replied confidently. She joined Dick at his flat screen TV and held up the correct cable so he could hook it to the back of the TV.

"Thanks. You're like my own personal Geek-on-call. I should keep you around more often," Dick said. He said it as though he were teasing, but the look he gave her was full of heat and passion. His gaze traveled down her body and up again. She felt herself flushing once again.

"Geek-on-call, that's one of my unofficial titles at EM Squared Enterprises," she cracked back, hoping Dick didn't notice how easily she still blushed.

Once everything was properly connected, Dick turned it on and put the game disc into the proper slot. They each grabbed their controller and sat at the end of the bed. Mac hunched down into her warrior stance. Dick looked so good naked that she was going to make damn sure he lost.

The Covenant destroyers and frigates floated on screen as the aliens aboard started their assault. Mac and Dick defended their UNSC (United Nations Space Command) ships as best they could. One brief moment of distraction—when Dick leaned over to tickle her—cost Mac the first round. She grumpily removed her tee-shirt and accused Dick of cheating. Of course, once he saw her black satin and lace bra that was hidden under the tee it was his turn to be distracted.

A couple rounds later Mac had managed to keep the remainder of her clothes on while Dick was fully naked, still clutching his controller, a look of total concentration on his face as he desperately tried to win the final round. Mac lobbed a grenade at one of the alien assholes and the flash of green distracted him enough that he didn't notice a different Covenant alien aboard a different ship and that blew his avatar to smithereens.

Mac gave a victory whoop and pumped her fist in the air. "I've still got it," she smirked.

"Well, let's celebrate your big win," Dick whispered huskily into her ear. He pushed her gently down and positioned it so she was lying horizontal on his bed. Then he got the room ready by turning off the TV, shutting the French doors, pressing the button to close the blinds, and then turning off the lights.

When he got back on the bed he set to work undressing Mac. She moaned as his tongue worked on a sensitive spot on her neck. She ran her left hand through his thick, gorgeous blond hair. She was starting to think she overdid things with her injured hand with the 5 rounds of Halo. It was starting to ache and throb, then Dick's tongue started a more southerly descent and her pain was all but forgotten.

Mac scratched trails up and down Dick's back as his skilled tongue brought her to orgasm again. She screamed as her body quivered in response. Afterward, she sighed and stretched, once again all but purring in pleasure. She wanted to take a patent out on that man's tongue. Or maybe on second thought, she'd just keep it her own personal secret.

Dick rolled over to retrieve the other condom he'd left on the bedside table the previous night. He ripped open the foil packet and deftly removed the condom. Mac set to work gently wrapping it over his fully-erect penis and straddled him.

Mac placed his hands up over his head and using her left hand pushed down, essentially locking them into that position. She scooted a little so she was right over his fully erect penis, but didn't permit him entrance. She leaned down and kissed him briefly on the lips then bit his shoulder before finally allowing him inside her warm, wet vagina. Dick groaned and slipped his hands out of Mac's tight one handed grip. Once they were free he lifted one up to caress her nipple and used the other to explore her clit. She moaned loudly, glad Dick lived in such a private location. Pushed over the edge, Mac felt the climax building and let one more moan escape. Then Dick came just after her. She collapsed on top of him, cursing under her breath when her right hand hit the bed too hard.

"You okay there, Rocky?" Dick asked.

"I'll survive," Mac muttered. She took a deep breath and slowly rolled off of him.

"You're quite the tigress between the sheets," Dick whispered in her ear. She was pressed up with her back against his stomach. He had one arm draped around her.

"The things you don't know about me could fill a book," Mac quipped, repeating verbatim the same thing Dick had told her the previous night. She couldn't believe it had only been last night that she scrapped with Madison then went home with Dick.

"True," Dick admitted. "It could fill a book to rival the length of _War and Peace."_

"_War and Peace,_ listen to you, I'm impressed."

"You should be. It's on my bookshelf."

"Let me guess, your decorator put it there."

He didn't respond to her dig but when Mac turned to look at Dick his guilty look spoke volumes. His expression made her laugh. She liked that he cared about the small touches. It said more about him than if he had read the book.

Before long, they had both drifted off into a deep sleep. Mac was awakened by Dick gently patting her shoulder. Reluctantly, she cracked open one eye and saw the sunlight streaming in through the now opened blinds. She seemed to be sleeping really well in Dick's bed. She wasn't sure if it was the aerobic activity she'd been partaking in before falling asleep or if it was the comfort of having Dick's arms around her as she slept. Probably some complex equation of both factors.

"Wakey wakey," Dick whispered in her ear. "It's almost ten. Busy day."

"Don't remind me," Mac moaned, lifting the covers over her head.

"Sorry. I made coffee, if that helps."

"Not really," Mac grumped, but she did shove off the covers and sit up. She grabbed the cup of coffee from the bedside table and took a big sip.

Two hours from now, she and Dick would be meeting with the Sinclairs and her parents. She felt like she had a noose around her neck, and it was two hours before her very public execution. Dramatic maybe, but it was the best analogy she could come up with to explain how she was feeling. However, as much as she dreaded facing the Sinclairs, she was dreading looking into her mom's eyes especially. She had never figured out a way to let them know she knew the truth of her birth. Thanksgiving dinner? "Pass the sweet potatoes, and by the way I know I was switched at birth?" Christmas? "I love the underwear, by the way I know my name was supposed to be Madison Sinclair." She never imagined she'd do it by cell phone after getting into a fight the previous night with the woman who was supposed to be Cindy Mackenzie.

Mac decided to push thoughts of the upcoming meeting out of her head, at least while she got ready to go.

Dick left the room to let her get ready. She put on a pair of khaki shorts and another of her prized geek couture tee-shirts, this one read _**Humble π**_. When she came downstairs, she was pleasantly surprised to see Dick making vegan pancakes and hash browns. She teased him about his "classy" Kiss the Cook apron, with the arrow pointing down.

Mac tried to eat her breakfast but found she didn't have much of an appetite. She glanced up at the clock on the wall of the kitchen; it was 11 AM.

_*****Sunday afternoon, The Sinclair's Condo*****_

"Are you sure this is the right address?" Mac asked nervously as she and Dick walked up the sidewalk to 1155 Riverwalk Way.

"I'm sure. I told you that they suffered a reverse of fortune after the crash of '09," Dick reminded her.

"Why do I feel like I'm on my way to an execution?"

"Because you kind of are," he said trying to speak in a reassuring tone but his words automatically contradicted any affect his tone could have had.

"Thanks, I feel sooo much better," Mac said sarcastically, drawing out the so. They had reached the front door of the modest looking townhouse. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A girl in her early 20's with long dark hair opened the door. Lauren. Mac would have recognized her anywhere. She was holding a little boy in her arms.

"Mac. Come on in. Everyone's in the living room." Lauren stepped aside to let them in. She hovered, seeming to want to say more, but not really knowing what to say. Mac couldn't blame her, she didn't know what to say either. Why the hell couldn't she find a script online to guide her through this very awkward lunch? One that outlined appropriate topics of conversation when the family that raised you and the family that gave birth to you were all in the same room along with the biggest bitch of your high school class, who lived the life you were supposed to lead. That's why she liked computers; you did X then you always got Y. There weren't zillions of unpredictable variables.

"Lauren, you remember Dick, right?"

"Of course. Hey, Dick."

"Hi," Dick said quietly. He grabbed Mac's hand and squeezed.

"So, who's this little guy?" Mac asked to fill up the silence. She figured that he had to be Madison's son. She could be Lauren's, though. Lauren was all grown up now, too. That made Mac sad. She would've liked to have had a sister.

"Oh. This is my nephew, Jake. He's one. Aren't you little man?"

"Hi, Jake," Mac said. She reached out to grab one of his pudgy hands.

"Hiya," he babbled.

"Did he just say hi?" Dick asked. "Smart little dude. Wonder where that came from?"

Mac didn't try to hide her smirk or pretend to be annoyed with Dick's breach of manners.

Lauren laughed, too. "Obviously not his mom," she quipped. "His dad is a lawyer. I hope he inherits his brains."

Just then Madison came into the hall. "Everyone's waiting in the living room. What the hell are you waiting for? An engraved invi-" She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Dick standing next to Mac holding her hand. "I thought you didn't like Dick," she said instead of finishing the rest of the previous thought. "Liar."

Mac noticed with some satisfaction that Madison's nose was bandaged and still very swollen. A faint trace of a bruise under one eye remained. "Well, he grew on me-kind of like algae," she explained.

Dick looked at Mac strangely for that comment. "You should write for Hallmark."

The stilted conversation was interrupted just then by the doorbell. Madison gestured at Lauren to get it. Adjusting Jake, she reached over and opened it one handed.

Natalie and Sam Mackenzie walked in.

Mac noticed her mom starring at the little boy. Natalie reached out a hand and stroked his silky brown baby hair. An odd expression crossed her face; it was brief but Mac definitely noticed. If she had to label it, she'd say her mom looked a little wistful as she stared at Madison's little boy.

"He's precious," Natalie said softly.

"Thanks," Madison said proudly. "His name is Jake. He's a little over a year old. Lauren, why don't you put him down for his nap?" Her tone left no room for argument; she was clearly dismissing her sister.

"Alright. I'll try to get down and join you guys when he falls asleep, if that's okay." Lauren said. She was looking right at Mac, who nodded briefly then looked down at the floor. Then she turned and went upstairs cooing softly to baby Jake.

"Mom, Dad. I'm sorry it came to this," Mac said hesitantly. A tear escaped. Dick reached over to wipe it away.

"Well, sweetie, maybe it was time," Sam said embracing her. Natalie waited a beat then joined her husband and daughter. Dick stood off to the side, trying to give them a little privacy. He watched Madison retreat back into the living room. At last the Mackenzies pulled away. Mac wiped away more tears. Her mom gently grabbed her bandaged hand.

"So, at least you got in a few good punches, it looks like. In middle school when those bullies picked on you, I could never get you to fight back." Natalie reminisced.

"Now Nat, Mac's never been a pushover," Sam defended his daughter. He looked over and finally seemed to notice Dick. "I'm Sam, and this is Natalie Mackenzie."

"Dick Casablancas." He shook both of Mac's parents' hands. Mac was pretty sure she saw a flicker of recognition from her mom when Dick said his last name but no one commented.

Reluctantly, everyone walked down the hall toward the living room. The Sinclairs were seated on the long couch, leaving the love seat and two chairs on the other side of the room free for the Mackenzies. It seemed to Mac that it was going to be very much a Mackenzie versus Sinclair type of meeting. Once again she felt like a heavyweight fighter defending her title.

"Thank you for joining us," Alice addressed them. "Help yourself to the food." She had laid out an entire spread of finger sandwiches, chips and dip, and other finger foods out on the coffee table between them. "Madison, will you please offer our guests some refreshment before we get started."

Once their reluctant hostess, Madison, had passed around the sodas Mr. Sinclair got things started. Mac could easily picture him running a major corporation, proceeding over countless board meetings.

"So, looks like things got a little out of hand Friday night between the two girls. I was pretty upset when Madison came home with her injured nose," Bob Sinclair started out.

"I'm not happy to see Cindy's injured hand, either," Sam added with a pointed look.

"From what I understand, the hand injury probably was a result from hitting Madison in the nose to begin with," Bob said. When he saw Sam's expression though, he quickly added, "However, that's not really the point of this meeting. Alice and I might have reached out to Cindy in anger yesterday, but honestly, even though I think the girls handled things badly, I'm glad that this happened."

Alice nodded in agreement. "It was past time," she said soberly.

Mac looked up in shock at Bob's announcement. However, it seemed that not everyone in the room agreed with his change of heart. She couldn't help noticing the toxic glances Madison kept dividing evenly between both her and Dick.

Finally, Madison couldn't hold back her opinion any longer. "I hope you're happy about all the trouble you've caused," Madison snapped. "I've survived twenty-eight years without knowing about the switch. Don't you think we're past the time where it matters?"

"I don't know, Madison," Mac responded with a heavy sigh. "I didn't plan any of it. I didn't stage this elaborate joke on you then sit back in the corner and laugh at your pain. It just kind of spewed out. I've lived with this great big Gothic secret for eleven years now. It simmered inside. You wouldn't leave me alone, and I just needed you to get out of my face. So am I happy? No, not really. Could I live like this any more? Evidently not. There were better ways to tell you, but honestly, didn't you always feel different from the rest of your family?"

"No. I didn't. Not ever." Madison replied quickly. Mac wasn't sure if she really believed it or was just trying to convince everyone, especially herself.

"Well, I did," Mac confessed softly. A tear leaked out, and she didn't bother wiping it away. What she didn't dare add since the parents who loved her and raised her were right there, was the fact that the biggest emotion she felt after she finally learned the truth was relief. Finally, she knew why she never felt like she was one of them. She sneaked a quick glance at Dick. He was watching her. She tried to label the emotion she saw on his face, it seemed almost like pride.

"Oh, hon, you always belonged. You've always belonged to me. I've had the pleasure of raising you for twenty-eight years." Natalie couldn't say another word. She put her head in her hands and broke down. Mac watched her dad comfort her mom. And in that precise moment she realized that she had actually ended up in exactly the right family for her. So what if she didn't like nachos, camping, or NASCAR. So what that her mom didn't share her love of vegan food, computers, or poetry. It took more than blood to make a family. Afterward she couldn't pinpoint exactly when, but at some point she had completely let go of her feelings that Madison had stolen the life that should have been hers. No, she ended up in exactly the family she should have been in. It was only thinking about Lauren that gave Mac any real feelings of longing. Ryan was her brother in every sense, but she still wanted that sisterly connection with Lauren.

Alice had tears in her eyes too, evidently it was contagious. "I'm sorry I spoke so harshly with you yesterday, Cindy. I was upset that my daughter had learned this from you. Honestly, I'm sorry you both found out the way you did. We should have been straight with you both from a much younger age."

The gathering went on for another hour, the food sat mostly untouched. Dick took a couple sandwiches, as did Sam and Bob, but mostly everyone just talked. No major decisions were made or anything, but the us versus them vibe Mac had felt when she first arrived had quickly dissipated.

When Mac saw it was almost two, she motioned to Dick that it was time to leave. It was weird to see her mom and Mrs. Sinclair seeming so chummy, but she could definitely understand the bond forming between them. They were seated on the couch next to each other, swapping stories about their daughters' childhood. Mac hugged and kissed her mom goodbye and promised to drop by the follow day before heading back to San Diego.

Dick kept his arm around Mac as they made their way out of the living room and back into the entryway. Lauren meet them at the door. They exchanged tentative hugs, and Lauren pressed a piece of paper into Mac's hand.

"What's this?"

"My email and my cell number. I thought, you know, maybe we could keep in touch. Maybe start as friends?"

"I'd love that," Mac confessed, trying to keep from crying in front of Lauren. "I'll text you later."

Neither Dick nor Mac said much on the drive back to the beach house. Once back at Dick's place they took a long walk on the beach, then played a couple rounds of Halo 3, fully clothed this time. Afterward they grabbed a quick dinner, and then it was time to get ready for the reunion dance. Mac insisted that she still wanted to go. That sentiment was reinforced when Dick confessed that he'd had Madison barred from the hotel for the remainder of the reunion festivities.

Dick put on a black Armani suit, and Mac teased him about looking very Logan-esque in his expensive "rich man" suit. Then she complimented him on how hot he looked in it.

"Wow, look at you Ghostworld, you're smoking in that black dress."

"Take a mental picture of me in this dress because between tonight and Friday, I've worn more dresses this weekend than the previous three years combined, I think."

"You don't wear dresses to work?"

"Nope! Everyday is casual Friday at EM Squared Enterprises."

_*****The dance, Sunday night*****_

When they walked into the_ Casablancas B_allroom at the Neptune Grand hotel, the dance was in full swing. Mac moved her hips to the up tempo beat of the song that was blaring through the speakers as she followed Dick to the bar. She took a sip of the red wine he handed her and looked around the room hoping to find Veronica. She could really use a little girl talk between the Sinclair-Mackenzie meet and greet and her _whatever the hell this was_ with Dick.

Dick accepted his beer from the bartender and they made their way to a nearby table.

They were near a speaker, though, so they didn't talk much. However, a couple minutes later Dick nudged her arm and pointed over Mac's shoulder. "Look," he shouted.

She turned in the direction he was pointing. "What?"

"It's Corny. Look at that bushy beard."

"Whoa! You weren't kidding. I wonder what he's hiding in there?"

"I think there are some birds nesting there," Dick quipped. Mac just laughed.

As they sipped their drinks, they looked around sharing memories and telling funny stories about various classmates. Mac rolled her eyes when she saw Shelley Pomeroy leaning against the bar launching into yet another overly flirtatious routine with a new unsuspecting victim.

"And she's attached her tentacles into yet another poor sap," Mac sniped.

"I heard she's trolling for husband number three," Dick shared.

"That does not surprise me."

Just as they finished their drinks, a slow song started.

"Oh, I love this song," Mac said.

"Let's dance," Dick said it as though he was giving her a choice, but he took her hand and guided her on the floor ignoring Mac's automatic protests.

Dick put his arms around Mac's waist and pulled her close to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed softly in contentment.

"I guess all those cotillions you were dragged to paid off," Mac observed.

"How'd you know I was in the cotillion circuit?"

"Oh please, you're an 09'er. It's practically mandatory."

"Practically?" Dick scoffed. "It is mandatory; otherwise, I'd be kicked out of the club."

"Oh no, how tragic that would be," Mac said in faux pity.

"I know, right. I would have been forced to live like the other half."

"Like my people?" Mac smirked.

"That's right."

That song ended and another one even slower in tempo started up. Mac looked around the crowded floor as she and Dick danced. She smiled when she saw Weevil and Allison out on the floor. They looked so happy and in love. She was thrilled to think soon there would be a little Weevil, or Weevil-lette in the world. Then she spotted another happy couple engrossed in each other. When she realized who it was, however, she did a double take.

"I think I dislocated my jaw," Mac joked. "It just fell on the floor. Look over there. Look at who Veronica is dancing with." She subtly pointed across the floor. Dick's gaze followed her finger.

"Well, well, well. Ronnie and Logan. This would be what, try number four?"

"Something like that. I lost count a long time ago. Truthfully, though, I approve. They've both changed. I think they could go the distance," Mac said confidently. She thought maybe Veronica could use a little girl talk herself. She couldn't wait to get the scoop. The thought of her friend finally dumping that egotistical tool made her happy. It certainly didn't look like Veronica was mourning the end of that relationship.

"You know what, Mackie, I agree with you. After the last couple times I had to mop up his man parts after she dumped his ass and broke his heart into 10 billion pieces, I never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but they belong together." Dick caught Logan's eye just then and gave him a thumbs up. "They're better together than they are apart."

"I actually thought they might get together at the launch party four years ago. Logan thought so, too," Mac reminisced. "He was crushed when she kept avoiding him afterward. "

"Funny you should say that," Dick responded. "Ronnie's best girlfriend did some avoiding of her own, if I recall."

Mac looked up at Dick in shame as her brain caught up with her mouth. "I did avoid you, didn't I?" She had known it was chicken shit move, but honestly she hadn't been ready to face the fact that she had a tiny spark of attraction for her dead first boyfriend's older brother. The launch party was the first time she saw him as more than just an asshole who made her life miserable in high school and their first year of college. He'd hung around her that entire night like a drunken shadow. It didn't take long for her to realize she was actually enjoying his company. It was confusing as hell, and she had too much going on getting a company up off the ground to puzzle over that. So for the next couple years she made it a point to be "busy" every time Dick came down to see Logan. Finally, by the time the reunion rolled around, Mac had convinced herself that any attraction she had felt for him was merely a one time thing only. Then he hugged her...

"Bygones," Dick said with just a tinge of sadness.

"Well, I'm not avoiding you now."

"No, you're definitely not avoiding me now. I guess I grew on you like algae." He smirked as he teased her.

"If I recall, you actually still owe me dinner per the terms of our bet that night."

"I'm not sure I really lost the bet," Dick said.

"I thought we settled this four years ago, you cannot lick your own elbow," Mac said confidently.

She took a half step back and looked into his eyes. He met her gaze and they both lifted their arm at the same time and attempted to lick their own elbow. They burst out laughing at the same time. "See?" Mac asked.

"Alright. You've convinced me. I guess I still owe you dinner." Dick pulled her close to his body once again.

"I might be able to work you into my busy schedule," Mac said huskily.

They kissed right there on the dance floor, everyone and everything else just seemed to fade away. Finally, they pulled back, just staring into each others' eyes.

"I think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship," Dick whispered. Mac inwardly groaned at his _Casablanca_ quote, though she had to agree it did work in context.

_**The End..Almost!**_

_Thanks so much for those that have been reading, reviewing, and favoriting! Please tell us what you think before you read the last chapter!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, this is it. My final chapter in our co-authored story. We decided to post both final chapters to cut down on the confusion our duel postings have caused. Sorry about that! **

**I am very happy with this chapter, so I hope you'll love it! It starts out in Veronica's P.O.V. Then toward the end I switch to Logan. It's hard for me to write from just one character's perspective! There is a bit of sexiness in this chapter, but I don't think it's too much. Thanks for reading! **

Chapter 6: Full Circle

_*****Veronica's P.O.V.*****_

Veronica woke up Saturday morning not feeling very refreshed. The memory of her dream haunted her. She had never dreamed of children before, and she knew that Wallace's comments were what put the images in her head. However, what shook her was that she had dreamed of kids that resembled Logan and not Joshua. She wasn't yet ready to examine what exactly that meant.

The bathroom door opened, and Joshua came out in a towel. He smiled at her. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. I didn't know if you were going to wake up before my date with your father," he said. He bent down and gave her a light kiss.

When he pulled back, Veronica protested. "What? Tired of me already? You could drop that towel and join me in bed," she said coyly. She needed to do something to dispel the dream and her confusing feelings about being back home.

Joshua smiled but didn't give in to her flirtation. "You shouldn't have stayed out so late. We could've had fun last night," he said, a note of rebuke in his voice.

She frowned at his censure and watched him dress. "You know I wanted you to come so that you could get to know my friends. You didn't try very hard," she said.

"They're not a part of your life anymore. What's the big deal? Our life is in Los Angeles," he said casually. He sat down on the bed and put on his socks and shoes.

Veronica was dismayed by his words. How had she allowed him to think her life in Neptune was so insignificant? She knew it was her fault he felt this way. Truth be told she had spent so little time back home since she'd been with Joshua. Nor did she talk much about her past. Now a deep sadness filled her as she realized how much she had closed off about herself.

"I know I haven't told you as much as I probably should've, but my time here was hard for me. It doesn't mean it wasn't a big part of who I am. Nor does it mean my friends aren't as important now as they were then," she told him. "Please make an effort today."

He could tell that she was serious and nodded. "Okay. I'll do my best," he said holding up one hand as though he was taking an oath in the courtroom. He leaned down to kiss her goodbye.

Veronica laid back in the bed. She had time before meeting Alicia and the girls. At least spending time with them wouldn't be so emotionally exhausting. Last night, Logan had stirred up things inside her that she had pushed down and mostly forgot. Having them come to the surface so easily was upsetting. Things had never seemed to work for them. Now that time had past, and they both had lives without the other, she could see that many of her fears about him were unfounded. Mac trusted him explicitly, and he had never let her down. He was basically scandal free. In fact, she really couldn't think of anything about him now that bothered her. And that in itself was the problem. How was she going to keep up her defenses against him?

She got there first and was able to drink a cup of coffee before Alicia arrived.

"I'm so glad we're doing this. You don't spend nearly enough time at home. We really miss you," Alicia said as she sat down across from her stepdaughter.

Veronica flashed her an apologetic look. "I know. I'm sorry. I was thinking of that this morning. Last night, Josh didn't make any effort to get to know my friends. When I called him on it this morning, he told me basically that it didn't matter because our life wasn't here," Veronica shared. "I realized that he can't know how his attitude hurts me because I am the one who has kept so much from him. I'm the one that has come back home so little."

"Why do you think that is?" Alicia asked.

"At first, it was too painful. It was hard leaving," Veronica said.

"Leaving here or leaving Logan?" Alicia asked pointedly.

Veronica sighed. "Both. I don't think anyone has ever loved me the way that man did, but I basically made him feel unworthy and then left him," she admitted.

"You don't think Joshua loves you?" Alicia asked.

"Yes, he does. However, he wouldn't stay heart broken for long if things didn't work out. He's always got a plan. He sees our life a certain way. I thought I saw it that way, too, but now I'm just not so sure," she said.

Alicia didn't like seeing her confident stepdaughter so unsure of herself. She reached out and squeezed Veronica's hand. "It's possible to have more than one great love. I have. Your dad has. If Joshua is who you see spending the rest of your life with, then you need to open yourself up more to him," Alicia suggested.

"Yeah, I know," Veronica said without much enthusiasm.

Alicia had an idea about what or who was causing her such confusion but the rest of their party started arriving, leaving them no time to speak further.

Veronica was more than a bit surprised when Mac showed up with Dick in tow. It made it really clear just exactly how her night went. Veronica worked hard to disguise her initial disgust. However, Mac detected it and went on the offense. Veronica knew Mac was right. People do change. Logan had. They all had. When Veronica smiled at Dick, she saw Mac relax.

She watched Weevil with his wife. Allison was far from the kind of girl she imagined Weevil would end up with. She seemed so normal, so girl next door like. However, after talking with her through breakfast, it became clear she inherited more than a little of the natural charm and charisma Logan and his mother possessed. Aaron's had always seemed so manufactured to Veronica. She had never been very comfortable around the man. But Lynn had always been a different story.

"So what's the plan?" Allison asked. Breakfast was finished and Dick had instructed the waitress to put the bill on his tab. They all rose from the table and headed out the door and into the quiet lobby.

Veronica opened up her bag and pulled out the brochure. "They have everything. Facial, mudwraps, massages to name a few. Or even a mud bath! We should get Weevil in one of those!" she teased.

"And that's my cue to say goodbye," Weevil said with a shudder. He kissed his wife. "Have fun, sweetie. Call me when you're ready for me to pick you up."

"'Kay!" she said happily. "I'm totally going to do the mudbath just to freak him out!" They laughed.

Dick decided that was his signal to follow Weevil and said goodbye, dropping a quick kiss on Mac before heading to the his office on the other side of the lobby.

"I would like to swim and get in the hot tub first," Veronica said.

"Swim? Exercise? What's happened to you?" Mac asked in horror.

Veronica lightly punched her on the arm. "You can't live in L.A. without getting in on the health kick to some degree. I refuse to become a vegan or eat like a bird like you do, but I find exercising both therapeutic and relaxing."

Mac shook her head. "And we used to be so close," she said dramatically.

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it!" Veronica protested.

"I run. I've even got Eli running with me. It's an easy way to stay in shape," Allison said.

"Well, you go do your exercising. I'm getting a facial and a hot rocks massage!" Mac exclaimed happily.

"I want to get a massage with someone. It creeps me out if the masseuse is a man and I'm alone in a room while he runs his strange man hands all over me," Allison admitted with a rueful smile.

"Good point!" Alicia said. "I'll just request a female."

"A man's hands are stronger, though. You get more from it, I think," Mac said. "We'll schedule ours together." Allison smiled happily at her plans.

"We should all get the facial at the same time. Then we can chat," Veronica said.

"Okay, I'll start with the mud bath. Alicia, why don't you do that with me? It'll be fun," Allison suggested.

She laughed. "Okay. I've never done that. It'll be a new experience," she said.

"Sounds like a plan," Mac said with satisfaction.

The women went to the salon to reserve times for all the activities they wanted to do. Then Veronica went up to her suite to get into her swim suit and swam laps in the pool for about fifteen minutes-just enough time to get her blood pumping. Then she went to soak in the hot tub. She was glad to see it was empty. There were probably more than one in this place. However, this was the one by the pool, so she used it. She figured she'd jump in the showers that were in the locker rooms before heading back to the salon.

When she was about to get out of the tub, her eyes connected with Logan. "What are you doing here?" she asked, instantly on guard. She knew how he operated. It wouldn't surprise her if he followed her down her to create an opportunity of forced intimacy between them. She stepped out of the tub and warily faced him.

"I booked a room here for the weekend. Figured it would be easier," he said.

"The penthouse?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Where else? It's like my home away from home," he replied with a fond grin.

"It was your home for too long," Veronica remarked. She had never understood why he'd wasted so much money living in that suite.

"Where's Mac and Allison?" Logan asked, changing the subject.

"They are getting massages," Veronica said. "I wanted to soak in the tub first. Working in high heels often leaves me with achy feet. The hot water is really nice." Veronica felt herself relaxing as she talked to him. He seemed less angry than he'd been last night. However, she was surprised when he didn't seem inclined to linger.

"Well, don't let me keep you," Logan said dismissively. He turned and moved to step into the tub she'd just vacated.

She looked down at him in surprise, caught off guard by his actions. When he didn't even look at her, but closed his eyes and settled back to relax, she felt a tinge of hurt. She had never before felt like she didn't matter to him. Even back in high school when he was tormenting her, she knew that he always noticed her. She mattered. Now it seemed he really had moved on. Frowning, she turned to leave.

After an incredible massage and girl time, she was able to push all thoughts of Logan Echolls out of her mind. They were finishing their time together with a late lunch.

"That was so perfect!" Allison said with a dreamy sigh.

"It was wonderful," Alicia agreed.

"I'm so glad you both were able to come," Veronica said with a smile. "I can't remember the last time I did so much relaxing."

"High powered attorneys should have _extra_ down time," Mac teased.

"I know. We have a Jacuzzi tub, but I rarely even find time to use it," Veronica said with a regretful sigh.

They ordered lunch and didn't have to wait long for their food to arrive.

"The food here is excellent," Mac said. "Dick's been doing a great job with this place."

"They always did have a good kitchen," Veronica observed.

"Logan just came in," Mac observed. "He's heading toward the bar."

Allison turned and waved at him. He waved back but didn't seem inclined to stop and chat.

"I think he's mad at me," Veronica said.

"Why do you say that?" Mac asked.

"I ran into him at the hot tub, and he was pretty distant," Veronica said.

"Well, you did arrive at the reunion with your live-in boyfriend," Mac reminded her. "A boyfriend I neglected to tell him about."

Veronica winced. "It's been eight years. Shouldn't it be easier?" she asked.

"Logan doesn't really look at women for a potential mate like most of us do when dating," Allison shared. "He feels he already found his perfect mate. I think a part of him will always be waiting for you."

Veronica frowned. "I can't help that. We tried over and over, and it never worked," Veronica said.

"Was there a lot of love between you?" Allison asked curiously.

"There was a lot of everything and too much of some things," Veronica admitted.

"Ah, Veronica, I think that's Joshua," Allison said, noticing him lingering outside the seating area. He was obviously looking for someone.

Veronica looked up and saw him. She waved him over, but he shook his head and motioned for her to come to him. "Well, I'm going to go see what he wants. Excuse me," she said.

When she got closer, she realized he wasn't at all happy. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"What's wrong is I obviously have no idea who you are," he said flatly.

Veronica frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"I don't even know where to begin!" he fumed.

"What happened? I can't imagine my father saying anything to upset you," she said.

"Your ex-lover Logan joined us," he said flatly.

"What?" Veronica asked in surprise.

"He was having breakfast alone, and your father dragged us to his table. Not only was I forced to eat with the man, but I had to hear all about things I had no idea about," he said angrily.

Veronica grabbed his hand and pulled him to a nearby deserted hallway for privacy.

"Look, I don't know what Logan told you, but he and I haven't been together in eight years," she said.

"Oh, Logan wasn't the only one talking. Cliff thoroughly enjoyed pointing out that both your exes were insanely wealthy. And here you told me you were blue collared. I was always impressed with your casual ease around the finer things in life," he said bitterly. "Stupid me didn't realize you were practically slumming by dating me!"

"Now you're just being ridiculous! Don't pretend you didn't know the Kanes were wealthy. Their software is everywhere. Logan's dad Aaron was a movie star. Of course, they were wealthy!" Veronica said getting annoyed by his attitude. "I didn't think it was a secret!"

"Well, what about the fact that when you were still in high school you were this badass P.I?" he asked. "You don't think that was something I should've known? Catching killers and rapists? Looks like Logan was more than your lover. He was your knight in ***ing armor!"

"You are being unreasonable! Do you think I enjoy recalling my near death experiences? Do you think I want to recount being drugged and raped at a high school party by Dick's brother? Or about him trapping me on the roof and using my own taser against me? Yes, Josh, I almost died more than once. Yes, Logan saved me. Should I apologize for that? Should I apologize for not telling you about Aaron Echolls trapping me in a freezer and almost being burnt alive? That time it was my dad who saved me. He jumped through fire to get to me, and you want to be angry that I don't relish recounting every painful memory I have? Well, sorry! I'm not built that way!" Veronica fumed.

Joshua looked surprised at her display of temper. She realized it was the first time she'd ever gone off on him about anything. Three years together and not once had he managed to piss her off. Suddenly, that realization depressed the hell out of her. However, she pushed it away and focused on one thing.

Logan. She was going to kill him. "We'll talk about this later," she said flatly. She knew Logan was in the restaurant, but she didn't want a big scene. Instead, she went back to the table and grabbed her purse. "Sorry, ladies. Joshua decided now was the time to rehash my past."

"Are you okay?" Alicia asked in concern.

"No, I'm pissed. But I'll be okay. I'm going to go for a drive to cool off. Sorry," she said, flashing them an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it," Mac said. Veronica nodded and took off.

Veronica went to her car. She thought about calling Wallace, but she didn't. Instead, she just spent a few hours driving around town, remembering. So many things came flooding back. She ended up at the beach she frequented so much. Parking the car, she got out and walked along the water. The beaches here were cleaner and nicer than the ones in Los Angeles. She finally stopped walking and sat down on the sand and watched the waves. Her anger was receding. Memories of being here with Lilly, Duncan, Wallace and Logan filled her mind. The memories both hurt and comforted her.

The summer after graduation when she and Logan had gotten back together, they had spent a lot of time here. He loved the beach, and he loved her. In his mind, the two had to be joined. He got her on the board a few times; he'd made out with her a dozen times or so on the sand. Once he almost convinced her to have sex on the beach. However, the thought of discovery and getting sand in icky places kept her clothes on. He'd teased her for being a prude, but she knew he'd loved the dance between them no matter the results.

Her relationship with Joshua was solid, but Veronica was realizing it was missing a few important things. Sexual compatibility didn't always equal passion. Arguing earlier with Joshua had hit home how boring their relationship had become. Or maybe it had always been boring and Veronica hadn't wanted to see that. They rarely fought or disagreed. At first, that had been what she'd loved about them. Logan and she had spent so much time fighting and arguing. It had been such a relief to be in a relationship that didn't have so much conflict. But after three years, Veronica had to wonder if they were missing something.

It was time to go back to the hotel and face Joshua. She wasn't about to throw away a three year relationship over so little. However, when she got back to the hotel and into the elevator, she found her fingers hitting the top button. Anger at Logan's audacity came roaring back. He'd been trying to cause her problems with Joshua since last night. Now he'd succeeded. Veronica couldn't let that slide.

"Veronica?" Logan said in surprise. She knew he didn't expect to see her at his hotel door.

Veronica didn't wait for an invitation but pushed her way inside. Logan closed the door behind her. "Come in, I guess," he said dryly.

Looking at his arrogant face made all her anger kick up a notch. "How dare you!" Veronica fumed.

"How dare I what?" he asked, looking confused. His pretense at ignorance just made her angrier.

"How dare you go behind my back and talk to Joshua!" she accused.

"Calm down, Bobcat! I didn't go behind your back and do anything. Ask you father. He was there. Cliff is the one who started the trip down memory lane," Logan said defensively.

Veronica realized that she probably should've called her dad and gotten the full story. At least she'd be more prepared, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook. "I bet you just loved recounting our history to him, though," Veronica said with more than a touch of bitterness.

"Is that what he told you? That's not how it went down. How was I supposed to know that the man you live with knows very little about your history? The Veronica Mars I knew and loved wouldn't live with a guy she didn't trust enough to tell the most basic facts about herself," Logan said pointedly.

Veronica mentally winced at his pointed jab. She knew he was right, and she bitterly resented the fact that he was. She looked away. "I trust him just fine. I just liked him only seeing me as who I am now," she shared.

"And who are you now, Veronica? Because I sure as hell don't recognize you," Logan said sourly.

"I haven't changed that much. I just quit letting my past define me. I focus on the future and the life I have now," Veronica said defensively. She wasn't going to let him make her feel bad about the choices she made. Choices she was perfectly happy with until he decided to start screwing with her life and her relationship with her boyfriend.

"Your life in Los Angeles? That's not you, Veronica. All those pretentious people. That guy you're living with is more so than most. You've changed more than you think if you can be satisfied with so little," Logan said, a note of disappointment in his voice.

Veronica hated that it bothered her that he was right-at least about Los Angeles. "You don't know anything about me or my life with Joshua," Veronica said, her voice rising. How did he so quickly put her on the defensive?

Logan took a step toward her. "I wonder how much you could possibly love him. Why are you living with him and not married? He doesn't want the commitment or is it you that don't know if he's the right one for you?" Logan asked.

"That's none of your business!" Veronica said angrily. "Don't talk about me to him." Veronica realized that this confrontation was not going as she planned, so she decided to make a hasty retreat. She turned to leave, but Logan quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back toward him. Her body hit his and she let out a breath of surprise. "What are you doing?" she asked warily, her heart racing at his close proximity.

"I want to know if it's still there," Logan said determinedly.

"What?" she asked even though she knew what his intentions were. She recognized that particular look in his eyes. He smiled and bent down to take possession of her lips. She felt like a magnet being pulled closer to him. She couldn't resist and her mouth opened. His arms tightened around her as his tongue plunged inside to mate with hers. Passion exploded between them. Veronica felt powerless against the onslaught of emotion his kiss invoked. It was like the years melted between them. The kiss was both familiar and new.

Instead of pushing him away, she returned the kiss with equal fervor. It was like a dam broke inside of her. Feelings and passions she had forgotten were there came back alive. The part of herself she had thought dormant awoke with a roar. Veronica felt a rushing in her ears as their tongues fought for dominance. Finally, Logan broke the kiss off and trailed his lips down her neck, breathing heavily. His lips hit a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, and she gasped in reaction. Her soft moan penetrated the fog of lust that surrounded them. She opened her eyes, her sight clouded by passion. Their eyes met. Realization of what happened, what she let happen, hit her hard. Her mouth fell open in horror. What had she done?

Logan let her go and stepped back. "I guess I know," he said simply.

Veronica's hand flew to her lips and her gaze locked with his in disbelief. She wasn't casually dating Joshua. She lived with him. They had a life together. She loved him, and yet in a single moment she allowed none of it to matter. Even now when she knew it was wrong, a part of her wanted to throw herself back in Logan's arms and forget everything but the way he made her feel. She knew she had to leave and leave quickly. Without saying a word, she turned and fled his room.

She went back to her hotel room. Her hope that it would be empty died as soon as she walked inside. Veronica mentally groaned. Joshua was an observant man and noticed right away that she wasn't herself.

"What's wrong?" he asked and got up from the chair he had been sitting on. When he got closer, he saw how disheveled she was.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said. She walked to the bathroom. Her appearance made her wince. Her lips were swollen from Logan's kiss. It would be obvious to anyone what had happened.

Joshua followed her into the bathroom. Their eyes met in the mirror.

"Where did you come from?" he asked suspiciously.

Veronica sighed and turned to face him. "I went to yell at Logan about his behavior with you. Things got a little heated. I turned to go and then he grabbed me and kissed me," she confessed.

"He kissed you?" Joshua asked angrily. "Where is he?"

"He was in his room, but the pool party has already started. Please, don't worry about it! He is nothing to me! I want to forget it happened and enjoy the rest of our weekend," Veronica said beseechingly.

Joseph looked at her incredulously and then gave a bitter laugh. "Forget about it? He means nothing to you? You can't possibly expect me to believe that! You and I have been together for three years! _Three_ years! I know that's longer than your relationship with him, yet he obviously knows you in ways I don't. We can deal with that when we get home. But I'm not going to let that man think he can touch what is mine!" Joshua exclaimed angrily.

Veronica did not appreciate his possessive attitude, but before she could respond he stormed out of the bathroom and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To have a little chat with your ex," Joshua said.

Veronica resigned herself to the inevitable. "I'm going with you," Veronica said as he stepped into the elevator.

When they made it to Logan's room, no one was there. Another ride in the elevator took them down to the first floor. Wallace was just leaving the restroom as they stepped out of the elevator. "Hey, guys! Are you heading to the pool party?" he asked.

"Not exactly," Veronica said warily. She eyed Joshua who was tense and unsmiling. "Have you seen Logan?"

"Not yet," Wallace said. "Are you coming?"

"I have to get ready first. I'll be there later," she said. Wallace nodded and gave a wave as he walked off.

"Why don't we go get changed for the party? Let's not let Logan ruin the entire weekend," Veronica suggested.

"You do whatever you want, Veronica. I'm going to the bar to get a drink. I know he'll show up eventually. After all, he'll want to be anywhere you are," Joshua said with a glare.

Veronica watched him walk away again. Feeling frustrated, she went back to her room to put on her bathing suit and a covering. She had a feeling the event would be a disaster. However, she didn't know what else to do. She wanted to spend time with her friends. Joshua had a right to be angry. As she got on the elevator and headed down to the pool, she refused to think about how she'd react if she saw Logan again. His kiss had left her rattled. Just thinking about it caused her nipples to harden. Groaning, she grabbed her smallest handbag, shoved her key card and phone it, and headed downstairs.

The pool party was in full swing when she got there. She joined her friends.

"We were wondering if you were going to show? Were you with Logan?" Weevil asked with a wink.

"No! He's caused me enough problems," she said disgruntled. "Where's Mac?"

"You just missed her. She and Dick left like five minutes ago. She got a phone call earlier and afterward she seemed pretty upset.," Wallace confessed.

Veronica frowned. "She didn't call. I hope nothing's wrong," Veronica said.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Weevil asked.

"At the bar. He's a bit pissed. He played golf this morning with my dad, our friend Cliff, and Logan. Logan and Cliff ran their mouths a lot about things I hadn't exactly told Joshua about," Veronica shared.

"Typical Echolls. Make a mess and leave it to you to clean up. Some things never change," Weevil said sourly.

"Hey, now, that's not nice! How is Logan to blame if he brought up stuff that's common knowledge? Most people tell their boyfriends about the important things in their lives," Allison said loyally. Then she winced, afraid Veronica might take offense. "I'm sorry!" she added.

"It's okay. You're right. This is my fault. I closed down too much," she admitted. "Joshua knows me well, but he doesn't know me as well as he should. Not after three years."

"You always seem to go for the ego-maniac white boys and then act surprised when it doesn't work out," Weevil said with his familiar sneer. "You should date a Mexican next time."

Allison reached out and twisted his ear. "Ouch!"

"I hope you weren't offering yourself, sweetie. Not if you want to see your baby when it's born," she said with false sweetness.

Veronica's eyes widened at her confession. "You're pregnant! That's amazing! Congratulations!" she exclaimed in delight.

"Another Weevil in the world! Is the world ready?" Wallace joked.

"It better be," Weevil said with a happy grin.

"When's your due date?" Veronica asked.

"About six months from now," Allison said. "I just told these guys when Dick and Mac were here earlier. Logan already guessed. He's too observant. He noticed that I didn't have any alcohol last night and suspected. He's very excited."

"You'll have to start coming to town more after the baby is born," Weevil said. "Especially if we ask you to be godmother."

"Me? Are you teasing?" Veronica asked in surprise.

Allison looked cautious. "Well, Logan will be the godfather, so you may want to think about it more before you say yes," Allison said.

"Speaking of Logan, looks like he's arrived. Shelley has him in her sights," Wallace said pointing.

They all looked and saw Logan with two drinks in his hand being waylaid by Shelley, who was wearing a barely there string bikini.

"Isn't she too old to wear something that skimpy?" Veronica asked.

"No!" Wallace and Weevil both said at the same time. Then they laughed.

Logan seemed to grow tired of Shelley's prattle and moved away. He walked toward them. He sat down in the chair next to Veronica. He handed her a drink. "Here," he said, giving her a friendly smile.

"Thanks, I guess," she said surprised at his move.

"Now, Veronica, you will only be here one more day. No more yelling at me. We're old friends if nothing else," Logan said magnanimously.

"Well, I should warn you that Joshua is looking for you. He's pretty pissed," Veronica said meaningfully.

"Oh yea? Why is that?" Logan asked with a knowing grin. "Don't tell me you decided to suddenly bare your soul to the guy?"

Veronica glanced uneasily at their audience. Wallace grinned. "Don't mind us. We're just listening with fainted breathe," he joked.

"He was in my room earlier when I got back from talking to you," Veronica said.

"Talking? Is that what you call what we were doing?" Logan asked baldly.

Wallace choked on his drink at that revelation. Weevil pounded him on the back. "What?" Wallace gasped.

"It's not what you think!" Veronica protested. She got to her feet and glared down at Logan. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Make a point of embarrassing me and making things difficult! Some things never change!" she fumed.

"Some things do," he said somberly. His gaze held hers a moment.

"So what happened?" Allison asked.

"Not as much as you'd think considering she's still hot for me after all these years," Logan said with a wide grin.

"Why you!" Veronica fumed, getting madder by the second. "You caught me off guard!"

"Maybe. But you didn't exactly push me away," Logan said with a twinkle. He felt re-energized and bickering with her was always fun. He took off his t-shirt. Veronica's eyes were glued to his well defined chest. He hadn't let himself go, and she was unable to keep from admiring the sudden view. He grinned knowingly. She turned away from him. "See how she looks at me!"

Their friends laughed at the two of them. "I think she's looking too hot," Logan observed.

Veronica quickly turned back around. "Don't even think about it, Echolls!" she fumed. However, the wicked glint in his eyes wouldn't be denied.

"Sorry, Ronnie. I can't help myself," he said as he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulders. He kicked off his shoes.

Veronica pounded his back with her fist. She knew exactly what he had planned. "Stop! Put me down!" she yelled.

"Nope. You need a nice good dunking. You've become really stuck-up. Time to lighten up!" he said walking toward the pool.

"I am _not_ stuck-up!" Veronica shouted. Her next word ended in a scream as Logan jumped in the pool with her. She came up with a sputter. She wiped her face and saw Logan grinning in front of her. She punched him hard in the chest.

"Ow! You and Mac have become really violent in your old age!" Logan said rubbing the spot where she hit.

"I can't believe you, Logan! First, you blab to Josh. Then you kiss me. Then you tell our friends about it! Now you throw me in the pool! What do you want from me?" Veronica asked.

Logan reached out and pulled her wet body against his. "What do I want? What I want is a life with the only woman I've ever loved. The only woman who even now makes my blood heat like no one on the planet. What I want is to kiss you and never stop," he said passionately.

Veronica knew she should push him away, but God help her it was like time slowed down. Her arms went around his neck, and she let it happen. She let Logan Echolls kiss her for the second time that day. The whistles and cat calls broke through the fog that seemed to be covering her as she got lost once again in his all too familiar embrace. She pulled back and looked at Logan, her eyes wide. "What are you doing to me, Logan?" she asked plaintively.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know you're involved with someone. Someone you love. But can he possibly love you the way I always have?"

Instead of answering, she swam away and pulled herself out of the pool. Logan was right behind her. Neither of them noticed Joshua standing and watching just a few feet away. They made it to their table before either noticed Joshua's presence.

"Things are about to get ugly," Wallace said.

"Oh, Josh. I didn't see you," Veronica said apologetically.

"Yeah, you were too busy letting this guy put his tongue down your throat!" he said in disgust. He glared at Logan. "That's my girlfriend!" Then he pulled back his arm and hit Logan hard in the face.

Logan rubbed his jaw and grinned. "Not bad for a stuck-up, pretentious lawyer," Logan said.

Joshua hit him again. "Okay, I deserved it. But I'm not going to let you hit me again," Logan said.

"Stop it, Joshua! This won't solve anything!" Veronica said.

"I've been doing my research. He's had lots of practice taking a beating," Joshua said with a smirk.

Then he hit Logan again, but Logan ducked and punched him hard in the stomach. He doubled over. Enraged, he threw himself at Logan, knocking him to the ground.

"Eli, stop this!" Allison yelled as people jumped back to get out of the way of the fighting men. Weevil was too busy laughing to break up the fight. Allison glared at him before he finally got up. However, he couldn't seem to pull them a part.

Veronica saw an opportunity to end it when they rolled close to the edge of the pool. Grinning, she ran over and pushed hard against Logan's backside, knocking the men into the pool with a loud splash.

"I don't think that's the way to calm down your boyfriend," Wallace said, shaking his head.

"Well, I didn't see you trying to break it up!" Veronica said in annoyance.

"You shouldn't be kissing Logan in public when you know your boyfriend is nearby," Weevil added with a grin.

Joshua got out of the pool. He glared at Veronica and walked back inside the hotel.

"You might want to go talk to him," Wallace suggested.

"You think?" Veronica said sourly.

Logan walked up to her, wiping his bloody nose. Veronica grabbed a napkin off a nearby table. "Are you okay?" she asked as she gave it to him.

"Yes. Are you?" he asked.

"No," she said glumly. She needed to go talk to Joshua. "I gotta go." She got her small purse and waved at her friends and walked slowly away.

A few minutes later, she was letting herself into their room. Joshua was packing up his clothes. He gave her a dark look when she came in.

"Josh, I'm sorry," she said.

"Not as sorry as I am," he said angrily. "Stay here a few extra days, so I can move my stuff out before you return. You can either buy me out or we'll put it up for sale."

"Is that really what you want?" Veronica asked sadly. She knew that she'd went too far. She didn't blame him.

"It's clear that you are not the woman I thought you were. It's also clear that you and Logan are far from over," Joshua said. "I never waste time on a losing hand. You know that."

"So that's it? Three years and it's over?" Veronica asked, feeling sick.

"Isn't that what you want? Instead of talking to me, you were making out with him in a public place. You obviously wanted to be caught," Joshua said sourly. He closed his suitcase and zipped it up.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," Veronica said sadly. She wiped the tears from her cheek. "I really do care about you."

Joshua looked at her a moment. "I guess it wasn't meant to be," he said. "I'll be seeing you. Let me know what you decide about the condo."

Veronica nodded and watched him walk out the door. She sat down on the bed unable to process what had just happened. Several minutes passed. There was a knock at the door. Numb, she got up and opened it. It shouldn't have surprised her to see that it was Logan. He looked concerned.

"I wanted to see if you were okay," he said.

"You took a chance coming up here. What if Josh was still here?"

"I saw him leave with his bag," Logan admitted.

Veronica stepped back and sat down on her bed. Logan sat down next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said.

Veronica started to cry. Logan pulled her close and held her. It'd been a long time since she'd allowed herself to cry. She cried for a long time. Logan pulled her back onto the bed and let her cry against his chest. She fell asleep curled up against him.

******_The Next Day******_

Veronica woke up and realized she was still in Logan's arms. However, she was turned toward him. Looking at his still boyish face made her smile. She could detect a slight bruising from Joshua's punches. It seemed he was still getting hit on her behalf. Reaching out, she lightly traced the bruise with her fingertip. His eyes opened. They stared at one another, words not necessary between them. He reached out and brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen across her face.

"You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever known," Logan said softly.

She smiled at him. Her hand went down and rested on his. It was hard to believe that she was here with him like this. "Is this a dream?" she asked him.

"If it is, I never want to wake up," he said. He leaned over and kissed her so softly that it made her ache. "You still love me." He said it as a statement, but she nodded her head.

"I really tried to stop," she admitted, her eyes once again filling with tears. Too many emotions were running through her. She still felt guilty for how she'd ended things with Joshua, but right now in Logan's arms, she knew that she couldn't let it matter.

Logan reached out and brushed her tears away. "No more tears!" he ordered. He kissed her cheek. "You taste of chlorine."

She grimaced. "We didn't shower after our pool dunkings," she said. She sat up. "We should clean up."

"Separately?" he inquired.

Veronica gave him a mischievous look. "I may need some help washing my back," she said as she stood.

"I'm an expert at back washing!" Logan quipped, giving her a salute.

She laughed. "I remember," she said. She pulled off the swimsuit cover she'd slept it. "Gross!" She threw it in the corner. She walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Her hair was a mess. She grabbed the brush on the sink and ran it through her hair. Logan stood in the doorway watching her. He had removed all his clothes but his boxers. She laughed softly at his eagerness and handed him her mouthwash. Chuckling, he rinsed out his mouth and handed it to her. After she'd used it and sat it down, they stood there facing one another. It seemed they both were a little unsure.

Logan couldn't believe that the moment was finally here. He was afraid of doing anything to scare her away. She must've saw his insecurity in his eyes because she reached out and grabbed his hand and tugged him closer. When he stood a hair's breath from her, he reached out and ran his hands down her bare arms. Then he unfastened the tie to her suit and watched it fall. Her breasts were fuller than he remembered. "I'm afraid that you're going to regret this," he admitted. He couldn't bear being another one of her regrets. Not now.

"I'm sorry, Logan. I'm sorry that I had to find myself away from you. I'm sorry that I allowed another man to get close to me," she said sorrowfully.

Logan flinched at that reminder. However, he had no right to hold that against her. It'd taken her five years to replace him. That said something at least. "I haven't been a monk, so it's okay. But no one has come close to capturing my heart," he told her.

She smiled and stepped out of her bikini bottom. "Well?" she prompted when he stood there mutely.

"Well what?" he asked distractedly. It'd been too long since he'd seen her naked. His eyes couldn't focus on anything else.

"Aren't you a little overdressed for a shower?" she asked, pointing at his boxers.

He gave her a bemused look and quickly shed them. Evidence of his desire for her came into view. She reached out and touched him. "How about you not do that? It's been too long and this will be over before it begins!" Logan said with a tortured moan.

He pulled her against him and kissed her ruthlessly. Just when she was ready to forget the shower completely and demand he take her right then, he let her go and stepped into the shower. She watched as he squirted shampoo into his hand and washed his hair. Then he used the suds to wash his body; all the while his eyes glued to her. Finally, as he rinsed off, she stepped into the shower. The water hit her body, but it did nothing to cool the passion and heat inside of her. She wet her hair. Logan gave her a wet kiss then turned her around so that he could wash her hair. After he rinsed the suds, he put in her favorite conditioner. Then he grabbed the hotel supplied wash cloth and began soaping her entire body. He took his time, knowing how his touch would affect her.

"Logan, quit teasing me! I need you inside me!" she moaned when he began washing between her legs.

"It's been too long. I don't want to take you in the shower. I want a bed, so I can take my time. I don't want you to remember anyone's touch but mine," he told her. He stood up and let the spray hit her. While she was rinsing off, he stepped out of the shower and began drying off. When the shower turned off, he grabbed another towel and held it out for her. She wrapped her hair up. Then he took another towel and began drying her body. She grabbed a hold of him to steady her suddenly weak legs. When he was satisfied that she was dry enough, he grabbed her hair brush off the counter and led her to the bed. He sat on the edge and scooted back so she could sit in between his legs.

"What are you doing?" she asked in bemusement. She figured he'd be ravishing her by this point. Instead, he seemed to want to take care of her. It both touched and startled her.

"I just want to be with you, Veronica. I missed everything about you. Sex, of course. But just watching you groom yourself and get ready for the day is something I missed the most. Not having that made me really lonely," he shared. He dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. She turned her head to look at him. Her hand went to cradle his face. She tugged him down for a kiss. Then she turned back around and let him remove the towel from her hair. He patted it to remove the excess moisture. Then he began to brush it.

"Your new hairstyle is sexy," he commented.

"Thanks. When it was long, I had to pin it up for court. It was a hassle. This is a nice compromise," she said.

"When I heard you'd been hired as an assistant district attorney, I really wanted to drive down to L.A. and watch you in action," Logan confessed.

"Why didn't you?" she asked. Maybe they could've reconciled earlier.

"I was afraid of upsetting you or messing things up at your new job," he said as he brushed her hair. "I guess I was waiting for you to come back to me. When you didn't, I decided that you were probably better off without me."

Veronica turned around. "I was never better off. I made a life that didn't allow reminders of you. Seeing you again, though, made it clear how much my life was missing," she said.

Logan tossed the hair brush aside and pulled her up on top of him as he laid back in the bed. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too," she said softly.

Then he began kissing her and all other thoughts faded away.

******_Hours Later******_

"I'm hungry!" Veronica said. Logan had made love to her three times. Neither could get enough of each other. It was close to two in the afternoon. They had caught up on the years in between the bouts of love making. The connection between them was as strong as always. But some things hadn't change. Veronica's stomach growled. "See! I need food!"

"I'm surprised you lasted this long!" Logan said with a snicker. He picked up the phone. "Breakfast or lunch food?"

"How about a bacon cheeseburger?" she suggested. Logan ordered food for them. Veronica's phone rang.

"Hey, Wallace," she said.

"Are you okay? No one's seen you, Joshua, or Logan. I was afraid someone was dead," Wallace said, only half joking.

"I'm fine. Actually, I'm great. Joshua left yesterday. He's probably currently moving out of our condo as we speak," Veronica shared.

"I'm sorry," Wallace said.

"I'm not. It's for the best," Veronica said, smiling at Logan who was lounging next to her on the bed.

"Okay. Well, that's good, I guess," Wallace said doubtfully.

"I'm with Logan," Veronica told him.

"You are? Really?" Wallace asked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Are you sure?"

"I am. I belong with him," she said. She reached out and took Logan's hand.

"Good. He's kind of pathetic without you," Wallace said.

"I can hear him!" Logan shouted.

Wallace laughed. "Tell him I said congratulations!"

"Wallace says congratulations," Veronica told Logan. Logan laughed. He was happy, and it made Veronica happy to see it.

"Are you guys coming to the dance tonight?" Wallace asked.

"Yes. I have the perfect dress," she said.

"Okay, I'll see you tonight," Wallace said.

Veronica hung up. "So whatever shall we do for the next four hours or so?" she asked coyly.

"Read? Watch a movie?" Logan suggested with a smirk.

Veronica moved until she was straddling him. "I think we can do better than that," she said. Then she kissed him.

Logan never really believed that his weekend high school reunion would turn out better than his wildest dreams. As he kissed Veronica, he could only be grateful. He was finally exactly where he wanted to be.

******_The Dance******_

Logan had finally tore himself away from Veronica, so they could both get ready for the night. He went up to his room. They had agreed to meet at the hotel bar. He had on his best Armani suit and couldn't wait to dance once more with the woman he loved.

He saw her at the bar and his breath caught. She was laughing at the bartender. Logan could tell the man was captivated by her. She had on a sleeveless red dress. Her hair barely graced her shoulders. When she saw him, she smiled and got up from the bar stool and stepped toward him. Her dress went to mid-thigh and hugged her full figure.

"You are breathtaking!" Logan told her in awe.

"You look pretty good yourself," she said, giving him an admiring once over.

Veronica reached out and took his hand. They walked over to the hotel's ballroom. More than a few looked at them in surprise. They walked over to a table that held Allison, Weevil, and Wallace. Their friends clapped as they approached.

"I hope you know what you're doing, V," Weevil said.

"I do," Veronica replied, looking up at Logan. "We know we belong together."

"She finally came to her senses," Logan teased. He put his arm around her.

"Where's Mac?" Veronica asked.

"Looks like the love bug bit her and Dick, too," Wallace said, pointing.

They looked and saw Dick and Mac slow dancing.

"They have the right idea," Logan said. He pulled Veronica out onto the dance floor. Mac's mouth fell open in amazement when she saw the two of them obviously together. She said something to Dick who looked over at Veronica in Logan's arms. He grinned and gave Logan a thumbs up.

Veronica gazed up at Logan. "I can't remember the last time we danced together," she said.

"I do. It was at Dick's fraternity's last party after finals. A week before you told me that you were transferring schools," Logan said. It was clear that the memory still hurt him.

"I'm going to make it up to you," Veronica vowed. "I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise," Logan said. He kissed her. It seemed that he couldn't stop. He was half afraid that he really would wake up and find that this was all a dream.

"I'm never going to let you go," Logan vowed. "If you go back to L.A., I'm going with you."

"Really?" Veronica replied, almost afraid to believe how things had changed.

"Just try to get rid of me," he said.

"I don't want to be rid of you. I just can't believe this has happened. Is it too soon?" she asked anxiously.

"Too soon? Are you kidding? It's four years too late. I should've went after you after our launch party. You were ready then. I could see it. But I was a coward," Logan admitted.

"So was I," Veronica admitted. She laid her head down on his chest and let him hold her as they swayed to the music. Now she was in his arms where she belonged, and she never wanted to be anywhere else.

Finally, they would make it work. They would have their happily ever after.

*******_The End********_

_BewitchingRedhead36 is currently working on an epilogue for this story and then that will be the official ending. We love, love, love to get reviews, so please let us know how you liked or didn't like our tale! Thanks a bunch!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, this is it. The final chapter in our reunion tale. Sorry if our method of posting was confusing. We appreciate all the reviews and those who favorited this tale. I hope you like the way we finished it.**

**This final chapter was written almost entirely by BewitchingRedhead36. I mainly only added some stuff to a few of the LoVe moments. I've written and read so many post season 3 tales that I can't imagine the movie to be much better than what we've already come up with! ;) For me, the movie will definitely single the end of my VM fanfiction writing. However, we hope it's at least as fun, romantic, and sexy as our story! Enjoy!**

Epilogue

_***EM Squared Enterprises, 4 months later***_

Logan said good-bye and hung up the phone. He rose from his desk at EM Squared Enterprises and walked the short distance to Mac's office.

"So, the caterers just called. They'll be here tomorrow to start setting up the tables at 6 PM sharp. You'll be around to let them in, right? I doubt I'll be back in time," Logan said. He leaned up against the door frame, waiting for her to respond. She seemed distracted.

"Oh. Uh, yeah, sure. Right. I said I would," Mac muttered back, not even looking up at him. She was busy reading an email. Logan was just background noise. However, she did hear enough of what he said to get the general gist of his request.

"They also said they were out of rabbit food, and every dish they served would have bacon in it, even the desserts," Logan smirked. He loved messing with her about her peculiar eating habits. He had no idea how Dick, an even bigger carnivore than he, which was saying a lot, put up with all the wheat grass and sprouts she called a meal. Besides, if anything would get her attention, that would.

"What? Oh, that's hilarious! Sorry. I did actually hear you. Caterers. Six sharp. I need to let them in, blah blah, yada yada yada. I was just reading an email from Lauren," Mac explained. "My sister," she added softly.

"Yeah, I know who Lauren is," Logan reminded her. He walked all the way into her large office and sank down into one of the twin chairs across from her desk. He adjusted the position of the chair a couple inches to the left, so he had a better view of her face. She had three large monitors and a laptop competing for real estate on her oversized desk. They had christened her office Mission Control.

"I know you do. I just like saying that," Mac confessed. "Ryan is my brother, that hasn't changed, of course, but, well, it's different with Lauren. For one thing, she and I are so alike."

"Yes, it's almost like you're linked genetically," Logan smirked. Then he turned serious and added, "She's a cool kid."

"Yeah, she is!" Mac agreed enthusiastically. "Speaking of my crazy _blended_ family, Lauren and Ryan are driving down together for tomorrow's anniversary shindig."

"Hoe-down," Logan corrected.

"Move on. That idea got shot down a long time ago," Mac said, wadding up a piece of paper and throwing it at him.

"Like a date?"

"No!" Mac shouted. Then she continued in a softer tone, "That would be weird even for Neptune. They're practically brother and sister now. It's cute, they've gotten really close these days. I think Ryan is enjoying having someone to narc on about practically everything I ever did my entire life. Anyway, I think this party will have a big turn out. Wallace, Weevil and Allison, if she doesn't have the baby first, and so on."

"Good. But anyway, not to change the topic, I still think we need to make cowboy boots mandatory and make it a hoe-down," he said with a wink.

"Right, because that fits our business model so well," Mac said sarcastically. She turned serious, "It's good seeing you. I've missed our daily chats. Skyping isn't the same. How's life in L.A.?"

"Reaching its sell-by-date, actually," he said with satisfaction.

"What does that mean?" Mac inquired, cocking her head.

"Ronnie got the call last night. She got the job at the San Diego County DA's office."

"Yay!" Mac yelled in excitement. "That's wonderful news! It didn't seem take you long at all to move there, so I guess it won't be much work moving back."

"True. Veronica finally realized her life in L.A. is truly over. It was never really her kind of place anyway—too many pretentious people. She was trying to recreate a life with Joshua, and just ended up losing bits of herself. L.A. might not have been the disease, but it was a symptom," Logan explained.

"Joshua? Who? Oh, the tool, as Dick calls him. I actually forgot his real name," Mac teased.

"Speaking of Dick, when are you guys going to officially shack up? I like the convenience of being able to make one call and reach both of my best friends."

"So, let me get this straight, I need to make a major life decision just to convenience you?"

"Uh, yeah," Logan said smiling charmingly.

"It's only been four months."

"So? When it's right, it's right. Veronica and I have only been dating for four months, too, and I know she's the only one for me. She always has been, and always will be."

"This time," Mac corrected. "You've only been dating four months _this time_. Dick and I don't have the history the two of you have."

Logan flashed her a look of skepticism.

"Well, romantic history, at least," she amended. "We do have history, I guess. A history of dislike, then tolerance, and now, whatever the hell _this_ is. I like him a lot. I like him a lot in spite of himself." Mac grinned back at Logan's smirk. "However, I don't really want to slap a label on it."

Logan thought Mac flashed him a meaningful look as she said that but quickly dismissed it as his imagination.

"We defy definition," she continued. Just then her cell phone rang, trilling the _Star Wars _theme.

Logan shook his head as he did every time he heard it. _Nerd_, he mouthed.

_Aww, you love me, _Mac mouthed back, then she glanced down at the screen and made a dismissive gesture to Logan. She click the button and held the phone to her ear. "Hey, baby. Were your ears burning?" she said into the phone.

"Speaking of defying definition," Logan muttered. He waved bye and headed back down the hall to his own office.

_***The next day, EM Squared Enterprises corporate Headquarters***_

Veronica grabbed a plate from the stack on a rolling cart and then went over the massive conference table which had been transformed into a buffet for the evening. It looked almost a mile long. Her stomach was growling, and everything looked delicious. As she moved along the table filling her plate, she briefly flashed back to the launch party Logan and Mac had thrown five years ago for EM Squared Enterprises. She couldn't believe all that had changed in five short years. Of course the change in her relationship with Logan was at the forefront of her thoughts. Everything had changed; she had changed as had Logan. However, in the same vein, nothing had changed. They had picked up right where things had left off. The hurt between them had not just faded out into nothing, but they had been able to move beyond it very quickly.

Of course, Veronica mused to herself, it was easy to fall back in love with someone when you had never actually quit loving them to begin with. At the launch party, there had been this big chasm looming between them, both wanting to say so much. Yet, at the same time, they were both afraid to. They had hurt each other too many times with their words. Then their ten year reunion weekend happened. Those years that loomed between fell away, and in the course of forty-eight hours, they realized something-they belonged together.

Veronica shook herself out of her reverie and started walking across the room towards a grouping of tables set up on the other side of the lobby of EM Squared Enterprises headquarters. Suddenly, Dick Casablancas put himself in the middle of her forward trajectory.

"Is there any food left for the rest of us?" Dick said grinning at her full plate of food. "I've never been able to figure out where the hell you put it all," he continued.

"I found a great exercise program. It's called kicking the ass of those stupid enough to annoy me. Fortunately, it's kept me in great shape through the years," Veronica deadpanned.

"Well, obviously your lifestyle agrees with you," Dick said, admiring her still trim figure. "I'll catch you later. I'm headed toward the buffet myself. I'll pick amongst your leftovers. Later, Mars." Dick was so happy with Mac that it was rare for Veronica to get under his skin like she used to.

Veronica went over to the table occupied by Wallace, Mac, Weevil and a hugely pregnant Allison. She took the seat to Mac's left. "I've said it once, I'll say it again, you and Logan certainly know how to throw a party."

"We here at EM Squared Enterprises know how to throw a classy shindig. What can I say? Are the caterers earning their pay?" Mac said.

Veronica assured the hostess they were, and then talk turned to Allison's pregnancy.

"Are you sure there aren't twins in there?" Wallace inquired. Weevil tried to hide his laughter from his wife. He wasn't very successful at it, though, because she gave him a swat on the arm loud enough to echo.

"Six ultrasounds do not lie," Allison said firmly.

"Unless one of the babies was hiding behind the other," Mac started explaining. She shut up quickly, though, when she saw the look of horror on Allison's face. "No, never mind! Ultrasound technology is very reliable these days."

Dick came back just in time to hear his girlfriend stop herself from another educational lecture. He smirked to himself as he set down one plate of vegan appetizers in front of Mac, and another plate filled with an assortment of more carnivorous treats in front of the empty chair to Mac's right. Then he sat down.

"Thanks, babe," Mac said. She grabbed a soy cheese stuffed mushroom and popped it in her mouth. Ever since the reunion weekend four months ago, she and Dick had been spending almost every weekend together, with the occasional mid-week dinner as well. She was pretty sure she'd never laughed as hard or as often with anyone else as she had with Dick. From the start of whatever the hell this was, Dick had such an unique, amusing way of looking at the world, and it seemed to be catching. She had meant what she had told Logan the previous day. She wasn't sure she was ready to slap a label quite yet, but Dick was certainly a welcome addition to her life. Sometimes it was amazing to think the drunk guy who stood in front of her door freshman year at Hearst, his voice full of pain, anger, guilt and a little tinge of hatred as he told her she was just his brother's beard, was the same guy who had supported her as her own life started to crack and fissure, while her baby switching secret came out into the open during their High School Reunion weekend four short months ago. He had held her hand through the entire awkward "lunch" meeting at the Sinclairs. He was the one who encouraged her to reach out and get to know Lauren as first a friend, and now as a sister.

"You did good. All my favorites are here," Mac continued, giving him a pleased smile.

"You're training me well," Dick smirked. He laughed at Veronica's eye roll. "Oh, Ronnie, since we're talking about dude's being whipped, where's your better half?"

"I haven't seen him. I don't think he's here yet. Surprisingly, he had the leash I implanted surgically removed last week. He didn't like it, for some reason," Veronica retorted.

"I'm taking Dick in next week for his chip implant," Mac added, giving Dick a wink.

"Eli assured me it was relatively painless," Allison teased.

Not wanting to be left out, Wallace tried to claim it was Jocelyn on the short leash in his family, but his sister quickly corrected that falsehood.

"I know Jocelyn, remember, bro? You're lucky you have so much slack on that chain, otherwise we'd be sending video of this shindig to Chicago," Veronica chimed in.

As Veronica and their friends were chatting over their plates of food, Logan walked into the building and looked around. The party was in full-swing. He patted the pocket of his tuxedo jacket nervously. He was a little overdressed for the party, though everyone was dressed in cocktail attire. However, he knew Veronica loved him in a tux. The only thing marring his otherwise James Bond-esque couture, was the black cowboy hat perched on his head; it was his subtle rebellion peaking through. Logan threaded his way through the mingling crowd, only stopping his progression towards his friends' table to greet a few more prominent EM Squared Enterprises' clients and associates. Once he felt he'd satisfied his role of host, he continued his trek. As he arrived at the table, he leaned down to lay a chaste kiss on Veronica's cheek.

"Looking lovely, m'lady," he whispered in her ear, laying a possessive hand on her bare shoulder. He loved the purple off-shoulder dress she'd picked especially for the party.

"You clean up quite nicely yourself," she replied back, softly. "Though I can think of one part of your attire that could use some work."

"Hey, Echolls, what did you do with the horse?" Dick said with a mischievous grin overtaking his face.

_"_What?" Logan asked confused.

"Well, I'm assuming you mugged a cowboy on your way here, so I just wondered where you parked the horse?"

"Funny. I'm surprised no one else got the memo about the EM Squared Enterprises' hoe-down. I think I have to fire my business partner," Logan teased. He grabbed and empty chair from a neighboring table and pushed it between Veronica and Wallace.

"Excellent idea. You have my blessing. Good luck programming the sites yourself," Mac said confidently, smiling arrogantly.

The friends continued to tease and banter with each other as everyone finished eating. Then they all started dispersing from the table, mingling with the other party goers.

Mac was chatting with Allison when she looked up and saw Lauren and Ryan walk in. She excused herself and caught up them at the bar.

"Welcome. So glad you both were able to come. Ryan knows this place well. Maybe he can give you a tour later," Mac said as she hugged them both.

"I wouldn't have missed it. First, I learned I had another sister. Then come to find out she's like a computer programming genius on her way to web wide domination. This was one invitation I could not refuse," Lauren said as she smiled proudly at Mac. "I actually need to find an internship next semester," she added shyly, looking at the ground as she said it. "Maybe..."

"Of course," Mac jumped in. "I need a new lackey anyway. Email me your resume next week, and I'll put in a good word with HR, who happens to be Logan." That sounded like the perfect way to her to spend even more time with Lauren, truly getting to know the girl, woman really, who shared the same DNA. She'd missed out on almost twenty-two years of getting to know Lauren. She didn't want to miss another second if she didn't have to.

_"_Lackey? That would be my title?"

"Well, Girl Friday takes up a little too much space on the business cards," Mac explained with a mischievous grin.

"How about assistant?" Lauren suggested.

"Oh, alright," Mac relented, pretending to be put out.

Meanwhile, Dick stood across the room chatting with Logan. He was focusing mostly on what Logan was saying, but he also watched Mackie's animated conversation with Lauren and Ryan. Even in his wildest dreams, he'd never imagined the reality of being with Mac would surpass those fantasies he been having of her for years. It wasn't just the bedroom he was referring to either-though she also kept him more than satisfied carnally-she was kind, funny, and wicked smart. He enjoyed being kept on his toes, and she pushed him to achieve more. The first San Diego location of Cho's Pizza was two weeks away from opening, and Corny—from high school—had just accepted the managerial job. The weirdo was one year clean and deserved a second chance. After all, Dick had gotten more than one redo in his own life. He felt it was his duty to pay it forward. Now, if he could only borrow Ronnie's vast skills of persuasion to convince the dude to lose his mountain man beard, it would be perfect. His ruminations were interrupted by Logan talking about horses.

"I was just joking about the cowboy mugging," Dick clarified.

"I know that, jackass," Logan said. "If you were paying more attention to me, and less to your woman over there, you'd know I was talking about this piece of property I found. It's only twenty minutes from downtown San Diego, yet with it's twenty-five acres, it feels a million miles removed from everything. I can't think of a better place to start building a new life with the only woman I can imagine settling down with."

_"_Okay, I get that, but what the hell does it have to do with horses?" Dick asked in confusion.

"I did a little shopping today while Mac dealt with last minute party details," Logan confessed.

"You bought a house without consulting the boss?" Dick was shocked.

"No. I just had a contract drawn up. It's land, not a house. We'd build a house we'd plan together. Of course, it's all contingent on Veronica signing the contract for the purchase. I did buy a horse, though. And one more little purchase I'll tell you about later." Logan looked proud of himself.

Veronica had noticed Allison just standing there after Mac had excused herself to go greet her siblings. Allison looked uncomfortable, her big baby belly sticking out. She motioned to Allison to join her and Wallace. They were still sitting at the table catching up on post-reunion life. Wallace had just been promoted to Engineering Manager and was explaining to her his new duties. Veronica was trying to hide the fact she didn't understand a third of what Wallace was saying. She was relieved when Allison sat down and started asking Wallace for tips on baby care. Veronica still didn't have much to add to that conversation either, but it gave her time to study Logan. She couldn't believe he'd come in that cowboy hat, though. Then again, not much he did should surprise her!

Suddenly, Logan gave a cat call to get everyone's attention. He took off his ridiculous cowboy hat and hung it on the back of a chair. He looked around the room and smiled warmly at all his guests. He winked at Keith, the only one who knew what he was about to do.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming to celebrate the five year anniversary of EM Squared Enterprises. Each and everyone of you have been instrumental in our success. I have been blessed to have the best business partner I could ask for." Logan motioned over toward Mac's direction. "However, it has made me realize how much my personal life was lacking. Then four months ago, I made the decision to attend my ten year high school reunion. I reconnected with the most beautiful, amazing, talented, witty woman I have ever been blessed to know. The list of people who know every facet of my personality and have not run away screaming is a very short list indeed. Ronnie holds the most important spot." He stopped, and motioned for Veronica to join him.

Flushing, Veronica muttered to Wallace and Allison that she'd be right back. She joined Logan, not wanting to believe her suspicion about what he was up to. Or more accurately, not wanting to be disappointed if she was wrong. Marriage had always seemed an alien concept to her, something normal people wanted, but not her. Then four months ago, she'd had that dream about brown eyed smirking babies, and she'd begun to think maybe, just maybe, with the right person (Logan), it wouldn't be such an alien thing after all.

"Veronica Mars, everyone here knows how much I love you. However, I wanted all our friends to be here when I asked you a very important question." He got down on one knee.

Veronica's hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise. He was really doing it! Her heart raced as the man she loved looked at her with such utter devotion.

He smiled at her and said, "It may seem too soon, but I've loved you since I was seventeen. No matter how much we fought or how many times we broke up, that never changed. There is no one else I want by my side the rest of my life. Will you do me the great honor and privilege of being my wife?" He took the ring box out of his pocket, flipped up the lid and took it out.

Veronica tilted her head and gazed down at him, for once her heart was in her eyes. She had always thought that when this moment came she'd be unprepared to answer him. It seemed doubts had plagued her for so long when it came to him and their relationship. Now, however, when she looked at the beautiful brown eyes she knew better than her own, she realized she had no doubts. None at all. She didn't hesitate in her reply. "Yes," she said more clearly than she thought was possible. "Yes, I would love to marry you!" Logan's smile grew even wider as he gently slid the ring on her left hand. It was a two carat marquise cut certified conflict-free diamond with a platinum band. He got to his feet and drew her into his arms for a very enthusiastic kiss that had all their friends clapping and whistling.

When they broke apart, Logan gave her a teasing grin and said, "I have a lot of witnesses! There's no backing out now!"

Instead of laughing, Veronica surprised him by reaching up and putting her hand on his cheek. "I can't wait to be your wife," she said softly.

Logan felt his throat closing up a bit at her surprising assurance. The piece of fear he'd had in the back of his mind finally dissolved. "God, I love you so much!" he told her, his voice choking with emotion.

Veronica's eyes filled with happy tears. "I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. Thank you for not giving up on us," she told him, wiping the tears that spilled down her cheeks.

Logan kissed away the tears and then once more captured her lips for a kiss. The cat calls forced him to finally pull away, grinning down at her. She grinned back, and then they turned to accept the congratulations from their guests.

The first few minutes after the proposal were a blur for both Logan and Veronica. Their friends all gathered around congratulating them and volleying questions at them from all directions. Logan described the picturesque twenty-five acres he'd discovered and his ideas of having them build their dream house on it. Then he described the dappled gray horse he'd bought. Logan acted like he was telling the entire group, but he spoke only to Veronica.

Everyone laughed at Veronica's excited exclamation, "You bought me a pony?!" Her dad was standing next to her. She reached out and squeezed his hand excitedly. "Daddy, did you hear what he just said?" Keith grinned at her, knowing a pony had been a joke and a childhood wish of hers. One he'd never been able to give her.

"Yes, bobcat, I bought you a pony," Logan said, laughing at her excitement.

"He bought me a pony!" she exclaimed joyously to her dad, whose eyes misted a bit to see his little girl so happy.

Eventually, things settled down, and everyone grouped off again. Logan had asked Keith's permission the previous day and had been so relieved when he was quickly given it. They both knew though it was only a figure head move. Veronica didn't need anyone's blessing; she lived her life as she saw fit.

The Mars' warmly embraced Veronica and Logan as they whispered their congratulations. Then they broke away, and Keith started giving the couple marriage tips. Alicia frequently cut in to correct her husband, however. Veronica mock glared at her dad when he suddenly looked Logan in the eye and said, "Whose your new daddy?" The men then each shuddered and decided they'd never talk of that again. Alicia and Veronica just laughed at their silly guys. When Wallace came up to join the group and share his own brand of marital advice though, Logan and Veronica excused themselves to continue on their way to visiting with other party goers.

About twenty minutes into being an engaged woman, Veronica found her way to the bar and asked for a glass of Shiraz. She took a sip of the wine and looked around contently. Her glance once again landed on the big rock on her hand. She knew, however, it wasn't nearly as big as Logan wanted to buy her, but he knew it was as big as she'd accept. By conservative estimate, she thought this was the hundredth time her eyes had locked on the rock. She was still getting used to the weight on her finger. Veronica wasn't big on jewelery except the locket Lilly had given her shortly before she was murdered. Lilly. Veronica shut her eyes tightly against the unexpected rush of pain thoughts of her best friend still brought her. When she thought of what Lilly would've said about the news though, she couldn't help but smile. Lilly would've said with her trademark smirk, "I always knew if anyone could tame that boy, it would be you, Mars."

"Afraid it'll vaporize if you don't check to make sure it's still there?" Mac said, coming up to her and interrupting her guilt tinged ruminations about Lilly.

"What?"

"That giant rock on your finger. You keep looking down at it as though you're afraid it was just a figment of your imagination," Mac clarified. She ordered a glass of Cabernet Saugvignon.

They took their wine and headed over to an available table to the left of the makeshift bar. Mac found herself seeking out Dick. She honed in on him and Logan chatting over by the large fountain in the entry way-Logan's main contribution to their office environment.

"Just trying to get used to my new accessory," Veronica explained. "I was thinking about Lilly."

"Of course you were. This is a such a monumentally big day for you."

"Yes, it is. I miss her terribly still, and I probably always will. However, I am so lucky to have so many amazing friends in my life," Veronica rushed on to explain.

Mac didn't say anything. She just reached over and squeezed her friends' hand. "Ouch!" she said as she broke contact with Veronica.

"What?"

"Your rock just impaled me. It could be a deadly weapon," Mac teased.

"Funny," Veronica said dryly.

After Mac exhausted her ring jokes, the talk turned to wedding plans.

"Well, being that I've been engaged for all of thirty minutes now, I can't say we've finalized our plans yet."

"I bet Dick is already lobbying for Vegas," Mac guessed.

Just then the sound of Dick's booming voice carried over to them. "It's Vegas, dude! What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! Everyone knows that!"

Veronica and Mac exchanged a glance and started laughing.

"Told you," Mac said gloating. She playfully stuck out her tongue.

"That's a sign right there," Veronica replied thoughtfully.

"Of an impending apocalypse?"

"Of coupledom. You've been spending so much time together; you start to know the other person so well, and you know how they think," Veronica explained. "You're getting serious now."

"No, we're just having fun. A lot of fun. I really like him. However, we're still in the having fun stage." Mac argued.

"What did you do last weekend?"

"We went up to Santa Barbara for the weekend."

"How about the weekend before that?"

"I helped Dick scout locations for the new San Diego location of Cho's Pizza." Mac said.

"Thanks for proving my point," Veronica said with smug satisfaction.

"What point?" Mac said confused.

"For two people supposedly just having fun, you and Dick spend an awful lot of time together. You're even doing serious things together. That seems pretty serious to me. You, my dear, are a couple," Veronica said triumphantly. "Hey, Dick!" she shouted.

"Yes, Ronnie?" Dick hollered back.

_"_Do you love Mac?" Veronica asked.

However, instead of shouting his reply Dick crossed over to their table, Logan trailing behind. He stood in front of Mac's chair and glanced briefly at Veronica, giving her a are you crazy look before staring deeply in those blue eyes he loved so much. "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?" he asked in puzzlement at the question.

"See? Told you!" Veronica said gloating once again. She loved to be right.

"Oh," Mac answered back after what seemed like a long minute. Finally, she draped her arms around Dick, leaned towards him, and kissed him deeply. Once again the whole room faded into the background, and Dick was all she saw and tasted. Slowly, reluctantly, they both pulled away. "I love you, too," she whispered. Mac wasn't surprised at all to discover she meant every word. Dick grinned happily at her.

Logan exchanged a happy glance with his fiancee, and it occurred to him this anniversary party for his beloved company was really turning out to be a night of new beginnings.

"Oh my God! Her water broke!" Weevil yelled, cutting into Logan's musings. It was obvious Weevil was in a panic.

Logan grinned at Veronica. "Can we throw a party or what?" he said to Veronica.

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "You most definitely can!" she agreed. She gave him a quick hug.

Veronica took his hand and moved toward Weevil, who was beginning to look faint. Dick was yelling for a mop while Wallace was telling Weevil it would serve him right if it was twins. Veronica laughed softly. Their life together would never be dull.

**The End...(For real!)**

_We hope you enjoyed this story! Please, please, take a minute and let us know by reviewing!_


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